Providence Police arrested the managers of two Providence spas believed to be fronts for prostitution on Nov. 3. Arresting managers instead of women caught giving unlicensed massages marked a change in strategy in the state's effort to crack down on health spas serving as prostitution fronts without violating civil liberties.
Because indoor prostitution in non-residential and commercial districts remains legal under state law, police can only arrest the managers of these spas for giving massages without a license. Undercover officers said they were offered sex for $200 at Central Health. According to the Providence Journal, a worker at the Midori Spa asked an undercover officer, "You want this?" and simulated masturbation, adding that it would cost another $60.
Lt. Thomas A. Verdi, head of the Narcotics and Organized Crime Division in the Providence Police, told the ProJo he suspects that around a dozen such establishments exist. He said his division will continue weekly undercover "busts" until the businesses are shut down legally.
In the Nov. 3 arrests, police targeted the managers of the spas rather than the prostitutes themselves, reflecting an ongoing shift in policy to stay away from prosecuting the prostitutes, who are, in some cases, victims of human trafficking.
Steven Brown, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island, told The Herald that "police have in the past stated that the women were kept in very small rooms and essentially locked inside all day. They are treated as slaves."
After the arrest at the Midori Spa, detectives took Mi Ja Santoro, 44, to Rhode Island Hospital. Verdi told the ProJo she was found lying on a couch with her feet wrapped in bandages and that she was suffering from a serious infection.
In July, the General Assembly tightened some of the licensing requirements for health spas to include criminal background checks and fingerprinting, but efforts to criminalize prostitution in the Assembly were dropped for fear that they violated the rights of the women involved.
According to University of Rhode Island Professor of Women's Studies Donna Hughes, federal laws like the Victimes of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 protect victims of the sex trade from prosecution.
"If someone is a victim of sex trafficking, performing commercial sexual acts as a result of forced fraud or coercion, they are said to be victims of trafficking and therefore immune from prosecution," she said.
Hughes added, "In order to really defeat the sex trade in women, you have to go after the managers and those who facilitate the trade. You will only have limited success if you go after the women. The best way to combat trafficking is to smash the markets."
Hughes said that prostitution fronts often advertise in adult papers like the Providence Phoenix's adult supplement.
When asked about the paper's advertising practices, Stephen Brown, associate publisher of the Providence Phoenix, said, "That's where they ask us to put them. If one spa is there the rest want to go there. We meet with the business owners. We check for licenses. It is something we have done for many, many years."
"There are many other more important issues that should be covered. Most of these girls are from New York," he added.
The laws in place give enough power to law enforcement officials to go after these fronts without further victimizing the victims by threatening them with jail time and using them as bait, Brown said.
"There are three federal laws in place dealing with harboring prostitutes, pandering and making a living off prostitution - all three of those are felonies with serious penalties," he said.
However, for Hughes, these laws are not enough, and solving the problem will require amendments to state law as well as increased regulation from the Department of Health, which oversees health spas in the state.
In the past, zoning laws have been used to prevent the opening of suspected prostitution fronts, but little action has been taken by the Department of Health.
According to Hughes, "I was particularly pleased that they arrested the managers and not the victims. What they need to do is tighten up laws to make it easier to crack down on the businesses. Massage parlors are under the regulation of the health department. I would encourage more health department checks."
Currently, the Department of Health runs on what they call the "paper trail" to monitor these spas.
According to Assistant Director of Health Robert Marshall, clinical associate professor of community health, "There are 700 massage therapists in Rhode Island and between 65 and 75 establishments. We do criminal background checks routinely on massage therapists and we share information with the local police."
"Since we don't have inspectors who go out and physically inspect the establishments, we rely on the paper process and complaints. Those complaints go into an investigation," he said.
Regarding future legislation, Rep. Joseph Almeida, D-Dist. 12, who sponsored the May initiative to criminalize prostitution and then later dropped his support along with Sen. Rhoda Perry, D-Dist. 3, is hoping to introduce a new bill that will target landlords who knowingly give leases to illegitimate spas.
"I wanted to go after the owners of the buildings - that's why I wanted to rewrite the bill. All these guys are big-time landlords and prominent people. How can these guys not know what's going on in their own buildings?" Almeida said.
"How long have we been talking about the issues of massage parlors and prostitution? They need to be responsible legally and ethically," he added.
Almeida said he does not know specifically what revisions he will make, but said that he expects to work with Perry and Sen. Harold Metts, D-Dist. 6, to pass reforms in the next legislature.
PPD representatives could not be reached for comment.
