Sunny Spa In New Brunswick Part Of Brothel, Prostitution Ring, Attorney General Says

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — A group of people who ran massage parlors throughout the state, including one in New Brunswick, were charged Tuesday with promoting prostitution at the spas.

The New Brunswick massage business is Sunny Spa, which has been in operation since August 2025.

It is owned by Jessica Yan Xiong, 50, of Oakland Gardens, New York. Xiong, along with Zongan Lin, 50, of Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey, and Zitian Zhang, 34, of New Hyde Park, New York, are charged with racketeering (first degree), money laundering (first degree), leader of organized crime (second degree), promoting organized street crime (second degree), and promoting prostitution (third degree).

Thowleong Chew, 43, of Flushing, New York; Min Li, 41, of Flushing; and Ricardo Botti, 56, of Oak Ridge, New Jersey, are each charged with racketeering, money laundering, promoting organized street crime, and promoting prostitution. Alfredo Sibaja-Sanchez, 53, of West Milford, New Jersey, is charged with racketeering, money laundering, and promoting prostitution.

New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin said they ran a string of brothels in massage parlors throughout New Jersey. The allegations are as follows:

Xiong operated Yan’s Massage and Reiki in Newfoundland, New Jersey, as an illicit massage parlor since October 2023. Several arrests for prostitution related offenses had occurred at that location. Despite those arrests, Xiong’s landlord, Botti, assisted her in keeping Yan’s Massage and Reiki in business even when she was denied a business license and the spa had been shut down for prostitution. Botti also helped with repairs and passing town business inspections, and had his employee, Alfredo Sibaja-Sanchez, help to ensure Yan’s Massage and Reiki was running efficiently. Lin used his massage license to gain licensure for Yan’s Massage and Reiki since June 2024.

Xiong also had been operating locations in Fair Lawn, New Jersey (JW Holistic Spa) and in Hillsborough, New Jersey (Star Massage and Reiki) as illicit spas since at least January 2025. Lin held the business license for Star Massage and Reiki since February 2024, as well as for locations on Broadway in Passaic, New Jersey (Kyoto 14) since September 2024, and on North Blackhorse Pike in Williamstown, New Jersey (Violet Spa) since January 2024.

Xiong and Zhang brought women and supplies to and from their associated spas to keep them running and controlled the money generated from the locations. Chew and Li assisted Xiong and Zhang as couriers for the women and supplies. Chew and Li have been seen transporting women from New York to the spas and moving women between the spas.

Each of the spas was subject to surveillance, and law enforcement saw men frequenting each location. Each spa was the subject of online reviews making clear the spas were used as illicit massage parlors and sexual acts were performed for money by the female workers. A financial analysis of the bank accounts associated with Xiong showed deposits of over $300,000 cash into various bank accounts since October 2023, although Xiong had not been seen working at any legitimate business. More than $72,000 was determined to be used to pay for the promotion, rent and maintenance of the illicit spas.

Over $150,000 in U.S. currency was seized from the locations, which, included with bank deposits, equals over $500,000 in illicit proceeds derived from criminal activity. Furthermore, evidence of illicit massage businesses was recovered from the spas, said Platkin.