Minneapolis Police Investigate Massage Parlor Prostitution



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Mar 5, 2003 5:12 pm US/Central
(WCCO-TV) (Minneapolis) Police in Minneapolis are cracking down on area massage parlors that they say are much more.

For more than a decade Yoshiko's Sauna has had dozens of prostitution related arrests. Now, after a year-long investigation, undercover police vice officers think they have enough evidence to finally shut it down.

"We did do several investigations inside Yoshiko’s as undercover police officers, and most all the time we received offers of sexual contact for money," said one Minneapolis undercover officer.

Yoshiko's is a recognizable part of the trendy warehouse district in downtown Minneapolis. Investigators say the building is also an illegal house of prostitution.

"Something like that, known or unknown, can really eventually drag down a community,” said Maude Lovelle of the Northeast Minneapolis Business Association. “We've worked way too hard to go back. "

Residents and business owners near the Central Avenue massage parlor have complained for years about the activity going on there.

"Obviously I would like to see another, a different type of business there that caters more to the needs of what our community is looking for," said Novelle.

Myong Chong Magnuson is the alleged owner of Yoshiko's. Investigators say she managed to stay open after repeated prostitution arrests because the suspects were allowed to go through a rehab program instead of being convicted.

"There is an effort made to deter the person from the lifestyle,” said the undercover officer. “When we do that we sometimes shoot ourselves in the foot.”

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