2 Charged With Trafficking Sex At 'Massage Parlors'

SPRINGFIELD, MA—Two have been indicted on human trafficking and money laundering charges for trafficking women for sex at two Springfield “massage parlors” set up as fronts for illicit activity, Attorney General Maura Healey announced on Tuesday.

Stephen C. Forsley, 65, of Bernardston, and Liu Yang, 61, of Springfield, were indicted by a Statewide Grand Jury on the charges of Trafficking of Persons for Sexual Servitude, Money Laundering, Deriving Support from Prostitution, Conspiracy to Traffic Persons for Sexual Servitude, and Keeping House of Ill Fame. Forsley and Yang will be arraigned in Hampden Superior Court on the charges at a later date.

The defendants were originally arrested in January as the result of a months-long joint investigation by Massachusetts State Police assigned to the AG’s Office, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the Springfield Police Department, said the announcement.

Authorities found evidence that indicated that Forsley and Yang ran a profitable and organized criminal enterprise through “massage parlors” that had been set up as fronts for human trafficking. The businesses were the Day Spa and the Health and Relaxation Spa, both in Springfield.

Through these businesses, Forsley and Yang allegedly offered sexual activity between women and buyers in exchange for a fee. The AG’s Office alleges that the defendants advertised sexual services online and transported victims. Yang allegedly received the majority of the profits from these sexual encounters, which were laundered into the businesses to perpetuate the daily operations of the criminal enterprise. The AG’s Office found thousands of dollars in cash at the businesses and at Yang’s residence.

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