Jersey Shore prostitutes plied trade next to municipal offices, cops say
How small is the village of Loch Arbour? So small that prosecutors say prostitutes brazenly set up shop next door to the municipal building.
Authorities on Wednesday raided Massage Therapy at 560 Main St., saying the business was a front for a house of prostitution.
Police arrested two suspects from Flushing, Queens, charging Luan Guihua, 49, with third-degree promoting prostitution and Jinzhen Yang, 48, with engaging prostitution, a disorderly persons offense.
Police from Deal and the FBI were involved in the investigation after receiving a tip about the business' alleged illicit transactions, the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office said Friday.
Promoting prostitution carries a potential sentence of three to five years in prison. A prostitution conviction could result in a year in jail.
Both have been released from custody. The defendants could not be reached for comment Friday afternoon and it was not known whether either had an attorney.
The village, with a population of less than 200 living in about a tenth of a square mile, is the third smallest municipality in the state.
Sergio Bichao is deputy digital editor at New Jersey 101.5.
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