LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Las Vegas Metro police busted a reported illegal brothel posing as a massage parlor, detectives said.
Cuixiao Ma faces charges of advancing prostitution and living off the earnings of a prostitute, records showed.
Las Vegas Metro police began an investigation into Ma and Oasis Spa as part of ongoing work into alleged prostitution businesses posing as massage parlors, officers said.
The spa is located on Tropicana Avenue near Decatur Boulevard. In May 2022, police received a tip about the spa “operation as an illegal massage parlor offering various sex services in exchange for money,” documents said.
Police identified Ma as the business license holder. Throughout 2022, police said they cited a female employee for soliciting or engaging in prostitution, they said.
On Thursday, Jan. 26, police conducted an undercover operation at the spa. An undercover officer went into the spa and asked for a massage.
Upon laying on a massage table, a woman at the spa asked the officer if he wanted a “good massage,” police said. The uncover officer then asked the woman how much it would cost to have sex.
Other officers then entered the business, detaining three people inside. Investigators later found condoms and other sex-related items in the business, they said.
Police later took Ma into custody on Wednesday outside of an elementary school, they said. Ma told officers she was the owner of the spa, but not the manager. She denied knowing anything about the alleged prostitution happening inside, she said.
Judge Rebecca Saxe released Ma on her own recognizance and did not set bail. Ma was due to return to court March 2.
While brothels are legal in some Nevada counties, they are not legal in Las Vegas nor Clark County.
Ma’s arrest is the latest in a string of recent brothel-related stings in the Las Vegas valley.
Anyone with tips related to human trafficking can call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. The FBI is always reachable at 1-800-CALL-FBI. Tips can be submitted online at tips.fbi.gov.