Agent behind massage parlor linked to Rep. Ron Kind has previous tie to prostitution

close

Video

Experts speak out on how massage parlors are used for human-trafficking

Rochelle Keyhan and Camila Zolfaghari discuss common practices used by massage parlors engaged in human-trafficking and sex work

An agent behind a massage parlor that has paid Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis., thousands of dollars for rent has a previous tie to prostitution, according to public records.

The Wisconsin Democrat made between $15,001 and $50,000 in rental income from property he owns in La Crosse in 2018 and 2019. Kind's financial disclosure form that would show rental income from last year is not yet available. 

WISCONSIN DEM'S PROPERTY USED FOR SEEDY MASSAGE PARLOR THAT TOUTED ‘YOUNG’ MASSEUSE

One of its tenants, Asian Sunny Massage -- previously known as Impression Spa -- has advertised on websites known for ties to illicit sex, including RubMaps, AssortList and BodyRubsMap, Fox News previously reported. USA Today has described RubMaps as "Yelp for sex spas."

While Fox News has no information that Asian Sunny Massage or Impression Spa have violated any laws or regulations, a further examination shows that in addition to the business being listed on seedy websites, an employee at a previous parlor linked to its agent was arrested for prostitution. 

Asian Sunny Massage's articles of organization show that Jie Yang is the current registered agent of the Wisconsin parlor. Jie's listed Minnesota address in the form is the same address that is shown in Florida state documents for Chunyan Yang, who appears to be her mother and is the former registered agent of Impression Spa prior to its name change to Asian Sunny Massage. Impression Spa's ads are still posted online at BodyRubsMaps. 

Public records show that Chunyan ran a massage parlor in Plymouth, Minn., where a masseuse was arrested for prostitution in 2017 -- one year prior to opening the parlor in the space the company rents from Kind.  

(Asian Sunny Massage, which rents a building from Rep. Ron Kind, advertised on seedy websites (Getty Images/Facebook))

According to a police report, an officer in the Plymouth Police Department's Special Investigations Unit was tasked with tracking RubMaps as part of his official duties. The officer saw an online review for a parlor that was said to provide sexual services called Asian Health Massage, which was managed by Chunyan.

An undercover officer entered the business and asked for a massage. He was led to a back room and told to get undressed, where he laid on the table nude and uncovered. 

"As Pan was massaging my legs, she would stop just above the knees and work her hands to my inner thighs, and back up towards my waist," the officer wrote in the report. "As she did this, her fingers would lightly graze my testicles. This happened each time she would massage either my left or right leg. Based on my training and from knowledge gained from past officers who have done similar undercover work with regards to illegitimate massage practices, I understood this to possibly indicate more intimate touching could take place." 

The officer then pointed to his penis and made a motion for the masseuse to masturbate him. "Pan smiled at me and told me I needed to ask. I advised her that I would give her an extra $30," the officer wrote. The masseuse did not say anything at the time and continued massaging, but later tried to insert a finger into his anus. 

The officer immediately stopped it and informed the masseuse she was under arrest. 

The officer approached Chunyan in the parlor after the arrest and said the police department had "information on ongoing prostitution happening out of the business." When asked if she owned the parlor, Chunyan said it’s in her "daughter's name" because the government would not renew her license. 

The next year, a man named Charles Stack attempted to open a massage parlor in New Hope, Minn., but was denied a license after a background check showed that he had potentially falsified information on his application. His application also contained an insurance certificate for Chunyan, according to the Sun Post, a local news outlet. 

Stack had submitted a therapeutic massage application on the same day as Chunyan, and two separate investigations into them found that Stack and Chunyan were also linked by another man named Addie Ng, who had previously contacted the city asking the likelihood of approval if Chunyan had submitted a massage license. 

Ag's and Chunyan's names were both on the business license for a company called Asian Comfort Massage. That company’s license was suspended, and suspicious activity was reported at the business soon thereafter. 

 "The facts were pretty plain considering they were recently denied in Plymouth," New Hope police chief Tim Fournier said at the time. "We don’t want that kind of trouble here as well."

Records show that Ag had drafted the current articles of organization for Asian Sunny Massage, which is renting the office space from Kind. Stack is also listed as the administrative and technical contact for Asian Sunny Massage’s website.

Following publication of Fox News' first report on the massage parlor, Joe Veenstra, a lawyer representing Asian Sunny Massage, said the company runs a legitimate business and operates in accordance with all state and local regulations. Veenstra added that anyone in the press or politics that says otherwise is "risking serious legal action." 

Veenstra did not return a voicemail seeking comment for this story. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Veenstra is an attorney at the Wisconsin-based Johns, Flaherty & Collins law firm. The firm's managing partner, Brent Smith, is the treasurer for Kind's campaign. Veenstra has also donated to Kind in the past, the Washington Free Beacon reported.

"The La Crosse Police Department has said that there are no substantiated claims against this small business," a Kind spokesperson told Fox News. "Congressman Kind and his wife Tawni have never received a complaint from the police or the community about it. If there is any credible information of wrongdoing by this La Crosse business let's see it, otherwise stop this baseless, defamatory attack against an Asian woman-owned small business."

Kind, a top Republican target in the 2022 midterm elections, initially blamed Google for the spa's advertisements on seedy websites, but a Google spokesperson told the Free Beacon it does not place any ads on the websites in question.