Married couple charged with human trafficking in their massage parlors

Colin Campo, The Courier
·3 min read
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Law enforcement agencies raided four Terrebonne businesses for prostitution.

Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's Office charged eight people on counts relating to prostitution by massage and drug charges. The owners, a married couple, were charged with human trafficking. The arrests were part of a weeks long investigation of prostitution and possible human trafficking.

On Thursday, the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's Office, assisted by several agencies, raided several Terrebonne-based businesses.

Locations raided included My Massage, at 685 D Corporate Drive; Moon Spa, at 1515 Polk St.; LA Spa Massage, at 193 Corporate Dr.; and Best Spa Massage, at 246 N. Hollywood Rd.

Several unlicensed massage therapists were taken into custody, said a spokesperson with Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's Office. The raids led to the seizure of cocaine, approximately $20,000 in cash and several vehicles.

Detectives discovered evidence suggesting that two individuals were responsible for the management of the establishment, the sheriff's office said. Evidence also indicated that human trafficking was connected to the day-to-day operation of the businesses.

The sheriff's office identified the two as a married couple, Yuhan Gao, 39, and David Kellow, 55, both of Houma.

They were booked and jailed at the Terrebonne Parish Criminal Justice Complex.

Gao was charged with massage parlor prohibited sexual conduct and human trafficking.

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Gao was later released on a $150,000 bond and remanded to the custody of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.

Kellow was charged with human trafficking and pandering. He remains jailed on a $1,500,000.00 bond by local judges.

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The investigation is ongoing to determine if there are links to other criminal elements, said a spokesperson for the sheriff's office.

Other arrests included:

  • Du Huiying, 55, of Houma, on charges of prostitution. Huiying was released on a $20,000 bond.

  • Xiuling Jiang, 55, of Waggaman, was arrested on charges of prostitution by massage and possession of cocaine. Jiang remains jailed on a $2,500 bond.

  • Jinling Ma, 44, currently living in Houma, was arrested on charges of prostitution by massage. Ma remains jailed on a $500 bond.

  • Yuan Qirong, 54, currently living in Houma, was arrested on charges of prostitution by massage. Qirong was later released on a $500 bond.

  • Randy Tyler Richards, 22, of Houma, was arrested on charges of solicitation for prostitution. Richards was later released on a $500 bond.

  • Guimei Huang, 59, of Des Allemands, was arrested on outstanding warrants through Jefferson for pandering. Huang was released to the custody of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office.

“Our ability to bring offenders to justice is more effective when the community is involved," Sheriff Tim Soignet said. "Hopefully this investigation leads to more arrests and the recovery of victims of human trafficking."

Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's Office was assisted by several agencies, including Louisiana State Police Criminal Investigations Division, United States Customs Emergency Removal Operations, Thibodaux Narcotics Division, Homeland Security Investigations and Terrebonne Parish SWAT.

This article originally appeared on The Courier: Married couple charged with human trafficking in their massage parlors