Police have brought business to a happy end at nine massage parlors across Bensonhurst and Dyker Heights.
Authorities raided the parlors on Dec. 3 and arrested 15 women on prostitution-related charges. Prosecutors are charging nine people with misdemeanor prostitution, two with promoting prostitution, and 10 with providing unlicensed massage services, which is a felony, according to District Attorney Ken Thompson’s office.
An area resident said the bust was a win for the neighborhood, but the prevalence of seedy establishments comes as no shock.
“We’re only seeing the tip of the iceberg,” said Dyker Heights resident Bob Cassara. “God knows what we’re not seeing, and it’s slowly but surely degrading the neighborhood.”
Indeed locals from Bay Ridge to Gravesend have been complaining about the ribald rub-down joints for years.
Police raided 12 area spas and arrested 19 people for charges including prostitution in July, 2013.
Law enforcement officials shuttered another five parlors borough-wide and arrested six people in a September 2013 sting.
This year, local leaders called on the Department of Buildings to aid the fight against shady shiatsu spots by issuing violations to spas that don’t have the “physical culture establishment” permit required to operate spas, gyms, and dance clubs, and it appears the department took heed.
Police were joined on the raid by investigators from the Mayor’s Office of Special Enforcement, which includes inspectors from the Fire Department and the Department of Buildings. Officials from those agencies handed out two partial vacate orders, 71 building code violations, and 20 fire code violations to the nine sites, according to the District Attorney. The city also slapped three alleged dens of vice with stop work orders because the buildings had been illegally converted, Department of Buildings records show. The New York State Workers’ Compensation Board also slapped parlor owners for violations of labor laws.
Cassara said the Buildings Department’s presence is a promising sign.
“I think that’s a good step,” he said. “Finally somebody is putting pressure on them to get their act together — that’s good news.”
Earlier this year, Cassara formed the Brooklyn Housing Preservation Alliance, a grassroots effort to raise awareness about and prevent the illegal conversion of homes and businesses. The news that several parlors also renovated their buildings in an underhanded manner should be a wake-up call for the city, he said.
“This adds credence to what we’ve been saying — there’s all sorts of illegal activity going on and its happening under everybody’s noses,” Cassara said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they were housing people in the basements of these buildings. The laws are there, they just need to be enforced.”
