Woburn Business Used as a Front in Human Trafficking Enterprise

A Woburn resident and a Medford resident have been arrested in connection with a human trafficking enterprise that spans the borders of several area communities including Wilmington, Attorney General Martha Coakley announced at a Monday press conference at the Wilmington Police Department.

Xiu J. Chen, 32, of Medford, and Ronald Keplin, 57, of Woburn were arrested on May 13 and charged with one count each of trafficking of persons for sexual servitude, six counts each of deriving support from prostitution and six counts each of keeping a house of ill fame, according to Coakley. 

Authorities allege the operation spanned multiple communities including Wilmington, Bedford, Billerica, Medford, Reading and Woburn.

"We allege that these individuals ran an extensive local human trafficking organization through what outwardly appeared to be legitimate businesses in multiple communities," Coakley said.

The arrests are the result of an investigation by Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Attorney General's Office, in conjunction with agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations and officers from various local police departments, according to Coakley. 

Authorities allege that Chen and Keplin operated six area businesses portrayed as massage parlors that were fronts for their human trafficking operation. The businesses are:

• Bedford Asian Bodywork (Bedford Wellness Center) in Bedford
• Shrine Spa (Billerica Bodywork or Boston Chinese Club) in Billerica
• Mystic Health Center in Medford
• Body Wellness Center in Reading
• Body Language in Wilmington
• Asian Bodywork (Woburn Wellness Bodywork) in Woburn

Coakley said authorities believe Chen and Keplin recruited women from across the eastern seaboard, including New York, and ran a human trafficking organization for profit in which they allegedly offered sexual activity between the women they recruited and their clients. 

Chen and Keplin advertised sexual services on websites known to advertise prostitution, set up appointments for sexual encounters for the women and managed the financial aspects of the organization, according to Coakley. 

The women who were recruited by Chen and Keplin were kept in "deplorable conditions," according to Coakley.

"We allege that these women were kept in deplorable conditions, often confined to a single room with a few mattresses on the floor, and then were told to work seven days a week in various locations," Coakley said. 

As a result of the Massachusetts human trafficking law that went into effect in February 2012, Coakley emphasized the focus of this prosecution would be on Chen and Keplin, not on the women recruited and kept as part of their enterprise. 

"Rather than prosecuting the woman who are often victims, often brought into the business at a very young age, who have few options or resources, we are focusing through his human trafficking law on successfully prosecuting the operators, the criminal organizations, those who profit from this business," Coakley said. 

Wilmington Police Chief Michael Begonis said the arrests will serve as a fresh start for the women taken advantage of by Chen and Keplin. 

Woburn Police Chief Robert Ferullo said the arrests came as a result of good cooperation among area police departments and law enforcement agencies.

"Today's arrests were the culmination of a cooperative and comprehensive investigation between state, federal and many local law enforcement agencies coordinated by the Attorney General's office," Ferullo said. "This operation is a significant step in dealing with the wide spread problem of human trafficking and prostitution in our communities. On behalf of the citizens of Woburn I would like to thank all of the agencies involved in making these arrests and look toward the just prosecution of those arrested today."

Chen and Keplin are set to be arraigned tomorrow morning in Somerville District Court, and the investigation remains ongoing. 

Stick with Woburn Patch for more on this story as it becomes available.