A Bensonhurst acupuncturist and massage parlor is facing an unhappy ending after the City filed a lawsuit to shut down the spa, claiming an undercover officer was offered sex acts in exchange for cash.
According to the April 22 lawsuit, authorities were first alerted to possible illegal activity at Brooklyn Acupuncture & Wellness, located on the ground floor of 6610 17th Ave., in August 2023 after a member of the public reported that prostitution was occurring at the premises.
As a result of the complaint, the Police Department conducted an undercover operation on Oct. 4 and Dec. 21, 2023, claiming that during both visits, a plain-clothes officer was offered “manual stimulation” in exchange for $130 and $190, respectively.
Per court filings, the undercover officer claims that after gaining entry to the wellness spa on Oct. 4, he was greeted by a woman who asked if he had an appointment. He reported that he then engaged the worker in a “prostitution-related conversation” and the woman agreed to “manual stimulation” of his penis in exchange for $130.
During the same visit, the officer said he inquired whether there were any other women working who offered the same service. He said the worker gave him her cellphone number and indicated that he should call her to schedule an appointment at a later date if he was interested in “engaging in sexual conduct with other females.”
During the Dec. 21 visit to the spa, the same undercover officer said he was greeted by a woman who escorted him to a private room which contained a massage bed. He said he again engaged in a “prostitution-related conversation” with the woman, who allegedly agreed to perform a massage and to manually stimulate his penis in exchange for $190.
Following the filing of the lawsuit, in which the City is seeking a closing order “to abate the public nuisance,” Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Patria Frias-Colón ordered that the spa be temporarily closed pending a May 15 hearing.
Defendants named in the lawsuit are Chun Kwok Lau and Cho Lam Yeung, the last recorded owners of the property, according to the Office of City Register. Efforts made to contact the named parties by Brooklyn Paper were unsuccessful at the time of publication.
City agencies last year cracked down on a slew of southern Brooklyn storefronts posing as massage parlors for their alleged engagement in illegal prostitution and other unlawful acts.
