The Orland Park Village Board upheld Monday the village manager’s decision to revoke the business and massage licenses of Pearl Spa after the business was found to be in violation of 11 village codes including prostitution.

Pearl Spa, owned by Emerald Spa LLC, at 14936 S. La Grange Road, violated several licensing codes including employing unlicensed massage therapists, failing to maintain an employee register, maintaining unsanitary conditions and allowing prostitution, said village prosecutor Donna Norton.

Kent Mikolite, a friend of owner Junru Yang, read a statement saying Yang operated massage businesses for 10 years without incident. For the Orland Park location, Mikolite said Yang hired a licensed massage therapist to manage the business. Village officials did not find licenses for employees at the business, Norton said.

“Apparently, the lady in charge of the Orland Park business had other plans contrary to Junru’s,’ Mikolite said. “She apparently thought that she could make some really good fast money doing things that hopefully nobody would find out about. Well everybody did find out it, including Junru.”

Village Manager George Koczwara revoked the business and massage licenses following a hearing Jan. 10, Norton said.

“Ms. Yang, as the license holder, is responsible for what occurs at the business. These egregious violations require the permanent closure of the business,” Norton said.

At the hearing, Orland Park police Cmdr. Ken Rosinski testified about receiving a tip from a man who said he received a massage and a “happy ending” at Pearl Spa. Rosinski also said an anonymous tip was made through the village’s portal stating that sex acts are performed at Pearl Spa and the employees wore lingerie.

Rosinski said the Police Department reached out to the Cook County sheriff’s vice unit, and on Nov. 3, an undercover Cook County sheriff officer went to Pearl Spa and requested a massage.

The undercover officer said he received a massage by a woman dressed in a cocktail dress and as the massage was ending, the woman gave him the option of three sex acts for additional cost, Norton said. The officer told the woman he was interested in one of the sex acts, but that he needed more money from his car and left the business all together, she said.

On Nov. 10, a joint undercover operation was held by the Orland Park Police Department and the Cook County sheriff’s office, Norton said. This time, she said, an undercover officer went to get a massage and signaled to the other officers once he was offered a sex act.

Police body camera footage from Nov. 10, which was played at the hearing and Monday’s meeting, showed two employees, dressed in short black dresses. Later that day, village officials found various code violations in the business, Norton said, including unsanitary conditions noted by pictures shown at the hearing.

“None of these facts are in dispute and have never been contested at any stage of the proceedings by Pearl Spa,” Norton said.

Based on the prostitution activities and other violations, the village closed the business Nov. 10.

Yang had a massage business in La Grange and decided to expand to Orland Park, following in the footsteps of a friend who operates five massage businesses, Mikolite said. Yang told the manager to only hire licensed massage therapists and posted signs in the business that said “massage only no extra services,” Mikolite said.

At the Jan. 10 hearing, Yang said she did not oversee the day-to-day operations of the business and was unaware of the prostitution and other violations that took place, Norton said. Yang testified she relied on the business manager to oversee the business, Norton said.

“Being absent from the day-to-day operations of the business does not absolve the business owner of the illegal activities occurring there,” Norton said. “On the contrary, the lack of even minimal oversight is evidence of a poor business model that allowed criminal activity to occur.”

Yang did not respond to the information Norton presented. Mikolite said in his statement Yang wanted to open businesses in pursuit of the American dream.

“Now, due to no fault of her own, a part of that dream has become a nightmare,” Mikolite said.

In the months since the business closed, Mikolite said Yang still owes the landlord money for the business space and requested that the board reinstate her business license to prove “that she can make this work properly.”

The board went into closed session for about 15 minutes. Afterward Mayor Keith Pekau announced the board decided to uphold the revocations.