3 Women Arrested In Raid On Spa

By NICOLA M. WHITE The Tampa Tribune

Published: Jul 5, 2007


NEW PORT RICHEY - People who worked near the Miyako Spa thought it was strange that the bulk of its customers arrived after dark. Who gets massages at 1 in the morning?

Tuesday afternoon, those workers watched as Pasco County sheriffs deputies and county health department officers arrested three of the spa's employees: Minying Xu, 51, Yinzi Jin, 45,and Tailian Song, 25.

All three women were charged with working as unlicensed health care professionals, a felony. Xu was also charged with prostitution for offering to "finish" an undercover officer for $80, authorities said.

The women are Chinese nationals and are being held at the Land O' Lakes jail, with bail set at $5,000 each. They are also being detained pending further action by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, arrest reports state.

"Everybody thought something was weird here," said Terry Fredricks, who has owned Cars & Coins, a hobby shop in the adjoining strip mall, for the past 15 years. "When you don't see anyone during the day, it doesn't make sense when you're offering therapeutic massages."

Wednesday afternoon, the spa, at 4962 U.S. 19, was closed for business. Unlit Christmas lights hung in the window. Inside, what looked like framed acupuncture charts hung on the wall.

Miriam Lopez, who works next door at Paradise Subs, also had talked about the spa's odd hours.

"My husband always said, 'Why is it open until 1 o'clock in the morning?'" Lopez said. "I just said, 'Well, that doesn't interest me.'"

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