SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – An investigation into alleged “illicit sexual activities” at a Kearny Mesa massage parlor has led to action towards shutting down the business, San Diego authorities announced Tuesday.
The Ocean Spa was the target of a months-long investigation conducted by the San Diego City Attorney’s Office and San Diego Police after nearby businesses and community members filed complaints against the massage parlor.
Authorities stated, “Neighboring businesses complained the site was the source of foot traffic at odd hours, people having intercourse in parked cars and sexual noises loud enough to disrupt a nearby church service. After receiving numerous community complaints regarding illicit sexual activities at Ocean Spa including criminal, nuisance and lewd activities, SDPD’s Vice Unit began an extensive and thorough investigation into these complaints, working directly with the Nuisance Abatement Unit of the City Attorney’s Office in preparation for prosecution.”
City Attorney Mara W. Elliott filed a civil law enforcement action to stop prostitution and possible human trafficking at the business, according to a press release.
Elliott said, “The owners of Ocean Spa have been masquerading as a legitimate business for far too long. Ocean Spa is a sex shop -- not a massage parlor -- and it has no place in our community or anywhere else. We look forward to holding these perpetrators accountable and restoring peace in this complex.”
According to authorities, San Diego Police “spent more than 125 hours investigating prostitution-related crimes at Ocean Spa last year alone. On at least 4 occasions, spa workers offered to sell sex to undercover police officers, which led to the arrest of at least four individuals for prostitution. They also documented more than 1,270 online advertisements for sex acts at the spa in the last 5 years.”
Elliott asked a court to prohibit Ocean Spa’s “continued operation of an illegal red-light business and pay more than $100,000 in civil penalties, and reimburse the City for attorney fees and other monies spent responding to police calls and other enforcement-related activities.”
SDPD Chief David Nisleit said, “The San Diego Police Department takes neighborhood complaints of this nature very seriously. Our Vice Unit’s thorough investigation into the operation at businesses just like Ocean Spa bring peace and civility back to San Diego neighborhoods. We are grateful for the collaboration with the City Attorney to eliminate this type of criminal conduct in our communities.”
According to the city attorney's complaint, the city code inspector allegedly found evidence that indicates Ocean Spa's employees lived on the premises.
"We're not convinced that these women voluntarily sold sex. We're very concerned about the well-being of these employees,” Elliott said.
