Durham massage parlor operator pleads guilty to prostitution charges
The manager of a Durham massage parlor pleaded guilty Friday to promoting prostitution.
Lian Jin Xu, 52, of Cary, was sentenced to 16 to 29 months in prison for each of the three counts she pleaded to, with all sentences to run consecutively. But all of the sentences were suspended to a single three-year period on probation.
Xu was ordered to surrender her passport and will be on electronic monitoring for at least six months, according to court records.
She operated the Neon Moon Spa, at 2945 S. Miami Blvd., which Durham County deputies began investigating in July 2018 after receiving a tip that sex acts could be obtained at the spa for a price.
Investigators staked out Neon Moon numerous times, questioned men who patronized the spa and sent undercover officers inside, according to a search warrant. Patrons told authorities they paid $70 for a massage and then more to engage in sexual contact, and the undercover officers were also propositioned, according to the warrant.
As part of her sentence, Xu was ordered to have no contact with Neon Moon owner Quan Chun Li and a fellow co-defendant Kwang Sok Koo.
Li was arrested by Apex police in 2017 and charged with promoting prostitution and running a criminal enterprise. Court documents say he has ties to the Chinese mafia and is known for bringing women from New York to the Triangle to work in the sex trade.
