Police Arrest 19 Masseuses at Local "Spas"

Greenburgh Police, acting alongside several major government agencies have arrested 19 Asian workers at local spas in Scarsdale, Hartsdale and White Plains for providing services without proper licenses. According to a press release from the Greenburgh Police Department dated August 15, the agencies undertook an 11-month investigation of the massage parlors before making the arrests for "unauthorized practice of a profession," which is a class E felony under the NYS Education Law. According to the release, undercover officers entered seven spas on Wednesday August 14, posing as customers. Nineteen of the workers were arrested for not possessing proper licenses and the agents from Homeland Security provided bi-lingual officers to debrief the workers who are of Asian descent.

There was not evidence to suggest that the female workers were trafficked as sex slaves in connection with the "spas."

As a result, the following massage parlors were closed down:

• Aroma Spa, 698 South Central Avenue, Scarsdale
• Charming Spa, 400 South Central Avenue, Scarsdale
• Gili/Finest Spa, 114 South Central Avenue, Hartsdale
• Forest Yin Spa, 100 North Central Avenue, Hartsdale
• Crystal Spa, 332 Tarrytown Road, White Plains

16 woman, ranging in age from 28 to 53 and live in Flushing were arraigned in Greenburgh Court and an additional three workers from the Darae 54 Spa at 54 North Central Avenue in Elmsford were arrested and held for arraignment.

The investigation was the culmination of work by the NYS Attorney General's Office, agents from U.S. Immigration and Custom's Enforcement, Homeland Security, Westchester County District Attorney's Office, NYS Department of Taxation and Finance, Elmsford Police Department and the Greenburgh Police Department Drug and Alcohol Task Force.