Of the spas that lost their licenses, almost 40 percent had massage therapists involved in sexual activity, the AP found.
The AP reviewed records from more than 150 Florida Department of Health cases involving massage parlors whose licenses had been revoked, suspended or voluntarily surrendered in the past decade. Nationwide, the anti-trafficking advocacy group Polaris estimates there are 9,000 massage establishments with therapists who are trafficked from other places and forced to provide sex acts. It’s difficult to know how many of them sell sex, based on the records. Both men have denied wrongdoing.įlorida has more than 8,600 licensed massage therapy establishments. Authorities say Kraft was twice recorded on video engaging in and then paying for sex acts at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa, located in a shopping center in Jupiter. Several spa owners, most of them women originally from China, were charged with felony racketeering and money laundering and could face years in prison.Īuthorities also charged 300 men accused of being patrons, including New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and former Citigroup President John Havens. In stark contrast, the investigation announced last month spanned several jurisdictions between Palm Beach and Orlando and focused heavily on the possibility of widespread human trafficking.
