CALIFORNIA
A federal judge in California partially unsealed an indictment Friday in which four individuals are charged with operating five illicit massages engaging in sex under the guise of offering therapeutic massage services, officials stated.
The massage services were in California and Arizona.
According to the indictment, Peter Griffin, 78, Kyung Sook Hernandez, 58, Yu Hong Tan, 56, and a fourth defendant owned and operated illegal businesses between 2013 and 2022, officials stated.
Griffin, who is a retired police officer and former attorney, previously worked as a detective with the Vice Operations Unit of the San Diego Police Department.
The unit is tasked with dismantling the very businesses he now stands charged with operating and promoting, according to authorities.
Their criminal scheme allegedly included using cell phones, the internet, and banking channels to register their businesses, advertise commercial sexual services online, employ multiple women to perform commercial sexual services in the businesses, manage the illicit businesses’ finances, and profit from the illegal enterprises.
Griffin was arrested near his San Diego residence last week.
Hernandez and Tan were also taken into custody Thursday and appeared in federal court today. A fourth defendant remains at large.
If convicted of the crimes, the defendants face up to 45 years in prison, officials stated. The defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
HSI conducted the investigation with the assistance of IRS – Criminal Investigation, the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force, the Escondido Police Department, the San Diego Police Department, the San Diego District Attorney’s Office, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, and the Tempe (Ariz.) Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jill Streja of the Southern District of California, Trial Attorney Caylee Campbell of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, and Trial Attorney Leah Branch of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit are prosecuting the case.