The owner of three Lubbock County massage businesses is in jail on federal commercial sex charges. Shaoping Wen, 64, and her associate Xu Wang, 41, are charged with interstate travel in aid of racketeering enterprises. The public defenders assigned to this case submitted a motion for continuance, stating they needed more time to sort through the discovery and work through language barriers. This discovery is voluminous. The government has worked steadfastly to provide remaining supplemental discovery in its possession to the parties and also that further supplemental discovery not yet in the custody of the United States is expected.
The government has not been dilatory in its provision of discovery to the defendants. The attorneys also stated Wen and Wang are not conversant in English. The trial is now set for Tuesday, Aug. According to court documents, in June , a concerned citizen contacted law enforcement about possible human trafficking at My Massage Place in Wolfforth.
During the investigation, law enforcement learned Wen had at least seven other massage businesses across Lubbock and New Mexico. Law enforcement stated Wen previously operated illicit massage parlors in Lubbock that have since closed. As DPSs began to investigate, they found the businesses advertised on websites known within the sex trafficking industry.
The citizens reportedly told law enforcement they believed the women lived there. They also reported male customers entered the business as late as midnight. Law enforcement reported they also watched on multiple occasions as grocery bags were dropped off at the businesses. The woman was arrested for prostitution.
During a sweep of the building, police said they found beds placed on the floor, a blow-up mattress and surveillance system. Undercover officers reported women offered to have sex in exchange for payment on two other occasions, one as recently as January of this year. If convicted, Wen and Wang face up to five years in a federal prison.
