NYC Police Shut Down 6 Illegal Brothels Fronting as Massage Parlors in Queens

Police tape secures a crime scene in Brooklyn on Oct. 12, 2019. Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images

Police in New York City shut down at least six illegal brothels fronting as massage parlors in Corona, Queens, on Jan. 25 as part of a “quality of life” enforcement operation.

NYC Mayor Adams—who joined law enforcement officials during the operation along Roosevelt Avenue—announced the closures of the six establishments in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.

“I was proud to join @NYPD115Pct tonight on an important quality of life enforcement operation to shut down six establishments that were breaking the law and perpetuating prostitution,” Mr. Adams said. “Prostitution is not a victimless crime—sex trafficking, abuse, and more. There are so many concerns in our communities and we are taking action.”

Mr. Adams also spoke to reporters shortly after the raids on the six buildings, where he noted that police found clear evidence of prostitution and sex trafficking inside all of the now-shut-down establishments.

The conditions he saw inside were “inhumane,” the Democrat said.

“It is clear what has taken place here. This is really bringing down the quality of life in this community, and anyone who says this is a victimless crime really needs to see those inhumane conditions,” he said.

“These horrid conditions make it clear why the New York City Police Department is not going to sit idly by and pretend that it does not happen,” he continued before praising law enforcement officers involved in Thursday’s actions.

Despite the conditions witnessed by police during the sting, no arrests were made, according to reports.

Three-Pronged Operation

In a separate statement, NYPD Assistant Commissioner Kaz Daughtry said Thursday’s joint law enforcement operation involved the FBI Human Trafficking Task Force and Homeland Security.

Officers had arrived in the area following noise complaints from residents. Police had surveilled the neighborhood using drone technology and witnessed the six establishments operating as brothels, he said.

“Moms, dads, and children should not be walking down Roosevelt Avenue and seeing these brothels here today,” Mr. Daughtry said.

“The woman working in here today [in the establishments] should not have to be doing this. There’s other types of work in the city that these sexually exploited individuals could be doing,” he said.

Thursday’s shutdowns are part of a wider three-pronged operation between the NYPD, the FBI, the District Attorney’s office, and other agencies, according to reports.

Prostitution Impacting Local Schools, Business Owners

In the first stage of the operation, police are targeting alleged pimps before moving on next stage, helping women involved in prostitution via advocates who will be sent in to provide aid.

Under the third phase of the three-pronged approach, police are arresting individuals paying for sex.

Officials said they plan to widen their investigation and will probe other alleged prostitution hotspots in New York City, including Pennsylvania Avenue in East New York and Sutphin Boulevard in Jamaica.

Prostitution is an offense publishable with jail time in New York.

Thursday’s joint operation comes after Democratic City Councilman Francisco Moya told The New York Post in November that he was drawing up legislation aimed at cracking down on prostitution in his district of Corona.

Mr. Moya said the bill would allow city officials to inspect brothels posing as massage parlors, including allowing the city Health Department to conduct random inspections of such places.

“Prostitution remains a concern in our district, now even more prominently in broad daylight,” he told the publication. “We’re flooded with complaints daily, with reports from schools, concerned parents, residents, and local business owners.”

“While we know this won’t end prostitution, our goal is to reduce activities that threaten the health and safety of our entire community,” the councilman said.

A spokesperson for the Health Department and Mayor’s Office told the publication in November that it planned to review Mr. Moya’s legislation, although the measure has not yet been formally introduced.