Sex trafficking investigation tied to Maine massage parlors leads to arrest - NewsCenterMaine.com WCSH-WLBZ

[NEWS CENTER Maine Staff]

LEWISTON, Maine — A man from Brooklyn, New York, has been arrested and charged in connection with a sex trafficking investigation in Lewiston.


Lewiston police told NEWS CENTER Maine they became aware in March 2024 of an illicit massage parlor operating on Sabattus Street. The owner, Richard Qiu, has also been associated with several other massage parlors throughout Maine, according to police.


On one of the busiest areas in Bath right down the street from City Hall, Marc Meyers said it immediately raised red flags when a business called Xinye Spa opened up back in April at 65 Centre St.


"I think their location here in Bath certainly caught the attention of our community. There were certainly concerns throughout the community about the potential of human trafficking and other illegal activities taking place there," Meyers said.


Many of the concerns came from social media. People in Bath were frequently posting about the spa and details including blacked out windows, a generic poster showing women getting a massage and a phone number that leads to an escort site. When people tried to enter the spa, they were told it was appointment only and women were denied service.


"We didn't have a criminal complaint in order to investigate it," Meyers said. He said there were barriers preventing Bath from launching a criminal investigation, but after looking deeper into the business, they found a different way to address concerns.


"We soon found out there were code enforcement issues."


Bath sent Richard Qiu, the owner of Xinye Spa, a cease and desist order, and within a couple weeks of opening the spa was shut down.


After the business shut down, the building's landlord let NEWS CENTER Maine go inside to see what remained, which was a mess of plaster and dust from what appeared to be torn down walls.


The cease and desist letter noted the spa had been illegally acting as an "Adult Business." However, this wasn't the only location owned by Qiu.


NEWS CENTER Maine found business records linking Qiu to another spa on Sabattus Street in Lewiston, which has since become the center of a human trafficking investigation.


Investigators executed two search warrants on the Sabattus Street property and identified two suspected victims of human trafficking, police said. Officials also found video recording equipment, condoms, and more than $12,000 in suspected sex trafficking proceeds, according to police.


A warrant was issued for Qiu's arrest after he was indicted by an Androscoggin County grand jury in July, and his bail was set at $100,000, according to officials. He was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service in Boston on Sept. 6, police said.

During Qiu's first court appearance in Androscoggin County District Court on Wednesday, Assistant District Attorney Nate Walsh shared some of the details coming out of the investigation.


"Surveillance was conducted over the course of several weeks at the business to include in person and full camera surveillance operations," Walsh said.


Walsh went on to add that Lewiston police had even interviewed a man as he left the spa. "That man admitted he had paid for a sex act while inside the business on that day."


According to Walsh, the people who police believe are victims of sex trafficking were found to be undocumented and brought illegally into the country through Florida. They told investigators they owed money to the people who brought them into the U.S.


At the hearing, Qiu pled not guilty to all the charges and his lawyer, Benjamin Lees, said he believes the business is being misrepresented. "Mr. Qiu strenuously denies the nature of involvement that is alleged here," Lees said.


Qiu's bail was set at $75,000 and his conditions of release include having no contact with victims.


Although Qiu's charges were only in direct relation to the spa in Lewiston, Assistant District Attorney Walsh hinted this investigation spans far beyond both Lewiston and Bath.


"We were informed he was involved in other parlors across the state to include Kennebec County as well as Oxford County and other southern parts of the state."


In regard to Bath, sources told NEWS CENTER Maine it is not uncommon to use code enforcement to shut down a business like this, but often it can result in those businesses just picking up and moving to a new location.


Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Androscoggin District Attorney's Office assisted Lewiston police during the investigation.


Police said the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Services assisted in providing victim services to the trafficking victims.


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