Two people have been sentenced following a widespread sweep of massage parlors offering prostitution services. The investigation was launched by Anderson Police after they were tipped off to Relax Chinese Massage on West Center Street in Anderson. It was one of at least eight known massage parlors owned by 51-year-old Rui Wang and 47-year-old Junhua Wu of Chico. There were also three on Hartnell Avenue in Redding, one on Main Street in Red Bluff, and others in Chico and Oroville. A yearlong investigation ended in March with the dismantling of what Anderson Police Chief Michael Johnson said was an international crime ring that brought women from China with a promise of a new life of prosperity. The human traffickers took the women’s passports and visas and forced them to work and live in massage parlors that were actually houses of prostitution. Although the crimes were spread through three counties, they were all prosecuted by the Shasta County District Attorney’s Office and the California Franchise Tax Board. Wu has been sentenced to 2 years 8 months in state prison and Wang has been sentenced to 8 years 8 months. They were ordered to pay a combined $1.5 Million restitution and must register as sex offenders for ten years upon their release.
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