RivCo Prostitution Raids Result In 4 Arrests, Deputies Say

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Four people were arrested across Riverside County during Thanksgiving week as authorities conducted raids of businesses suspected of offering prostitution services.

In Temecula, three people were arrested this week and stand accused of soliciting prostitution. Meanwhile, another arrest was in Palm Desert.

The arrests came after the Riverside County Sheriff's Department received tips about multiple massage parlors allegedly offering illicit services.

On Wednesday, Haiwei Donkersgoed, a 58-year-old resident of Victorville, was arrested on suspicion of maintaining a brothel along the 45000 block of San Pablo in Palm Desert. Donkersgoed was booked into the John Benoit Detention Center, deputies said in a news release.

Two women were found at the business and identified as possible victims of human trafficking, police said, adding that the pair were connected with in-person advocacy services.

An investigation into the parlor is ongoing. Anyone with information was urged to contact deputies at HT@riversidesheriff.org.

On the same day, Li Guan a 40-year-old resident of Monrovia, and Xao Tao, a 47-year-old resident of San Gabriel, were booked into the Cois Byrd Detention Center on similar charges.

Officials said the sheriff's southwest station received an anonymous tip that prostitution was occurring at a massage parlor, located in the 274000 block of Jefferson Avenue in Temecula.

On the same day, another was arrested in Temecula in connection with a suspected prostitution operation at a business in the 31300 block of Temecula Parkway, police said. Yan Fang Wei, a 41-year-old resident of Temecula, was arrested and booked into the Cois Byrd Detention Center. Another victim was identified and offered resources, the sheriff's office said in a separate release.

"Human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation remain significant concerns in our community. These crimes often involve manipulation, coercion, and exploitation, leading victims to engage in illegal activities against their will," deputies wrote in a statement.
Authorities urged residents to stay vigilant and report suspicious activity by calling dispatch at 951-776-1099 or 911 in an emergency.

Information can also be reported through the WE-Tip Crime Reporting Hotline at 909-987-5005.

Anonymous tips can be submitted using the Sheriff’s Crime Tips online form.

"The Riverside Sheriff’s Office remains committed to identifying and dismantling trafficking networks to ensure that victims are rescued and perpetrators are held accountable," according to the sheriff's office's statement.

Victims of human trafficking are encouraged to use the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline at 888-373-7888 or contact the local law enforcement department.