Warrants, reports detail alleged prostitution, trafficking at Aiken County massage parlors
Newly obtained documents reveal seven Aiken County massage parlors raided by local law enforcement, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division on Aug. 16 are being investigated for prostitution, commercial sex and human sex trafficking.
Search warrants filed in Aiken County prior to the raids state investigators were searching for "buddy lists," information about "Johns," contraception, sex toys, lingerie, "clean up rags/towels/tissues," items containing seminal or vaginal fluids, video cameras, computer systems, hard drives, DVDs, log books and bulk cash.
The warrants state videos and photographs depicting commercial sex are subject to search.
Related to the sex trafficking investigation, detectives were also searching for legal working permits and licenses, South Carolina issued massage licenses, visas, passports, travel documents, employment authorization cards, records of employment, drivers licenses, financial ledgers, documentation of wire transfers and documents related to female employees employed in commercial sex activities, according to warrants.
Incident reports related to the raids included the names of each business, but all of the seizures and findings were redacted due to the ongoing investigation.
The massage businesses searched included:
T Aroma Massage at 220 Eastgate Drive in Aiken
GAAve Massage at 507 Georgia Avenue in North Augusta
Lili’s/Lisa’s Massage at 129 Marketplace Drive in North Augusta
T Aroma Massage at 401 W. Martintown Road in North Augusta
Lotus Massage at 1069 Edgefield Road in North Augusta
Flower Massage at 1635 Georgia Avenue in North Augusta
Leisure Massage at 135 Edgewood Drive in North Augusta
Incident reports reveal intimate details
The Augusta Chronicle obtained incident reports related to raids that occurred at two of the massage parlors under investigation.
One of the reports, filed on April 25, described an incident at Lisa’s Massage where a 56-year-old man was inappropriately touched.
While the man was walking back to the massage room, the woman at the front counter asked if he would like two women to massage him, to which he replied one would be fine, according to the report.
Once he laid on the table, the female employee tried to take his underwear off and started to touch his penis, according to the report. She also made comments that "his arms looked very strong and that he looked good."
When the man told the employee he was married, she stopped and apologized, according to the report. He told North Augusta officers the woman was not dressed appropriately and was "not professional."
Another incident, on March 7, 2022, at GAAve Massage in North Augusta, involved a confidential informant who claimed to have received inappropriate services at the massage parlor.
Officers noted in the report that North Augusta Public Safety received prior complaints about the business performing inappropriate acts and told the informant to let them know before an inappropriate act took place by using a code phrase, according to the report.
The informant went into the business and attempted numerous times to obtain oral sex in exchange for payment, but the masseuse declined, according to the report.
Previous reporting: SLED, U.S. Homeland Security investigating seven Aiken County massage parlors
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Aiken County massage parlors involved in sex trafficking ring
