{"id":52709,"date":"2023-04-05T10:51:07","date_gmt":"2023-04-05T17:51:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=52709"},"modified":"2023-04-05T10:51:56","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T17:51:56","slug":"former-san-diego-officer-three-others-guilty-of-multiple-crimes-for-operating-five-illicit-massage-parlors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=52709","title":{"rendered":"Former San Diego Detective, Three Others Guilty of Multiple Crimes for Operating Five Illicit Massage Parlors"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"massage,<\/a>A former San Diego Police Department vice detective and his co-defendants each pleaded guilty Tuesday in connection with their operation of five illicit massage businesses in California and Arizona, federal officials stated.<\/span><\/p>\n

The defendants profited for years by exploiting women to engage in commercial sexual services under the guise of offering therapeutic massage services, officials stated.<\/span><\/p>\n

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According to court documents, Peter Griffin, 78, who left the department in 2002, Kyung Sook Hernandez, 58, Yu Hong Tan, 56, and Yoo Jin Ott, 46, owned and operated Genie Oriental Spa, Felicita Spa, Blue Green Spa, Maple Spa and Massage W Spa, located in the greater San Diego area and Tempe, Arizona, between 2013 and August 2022. <\/span><\/p>\n

The criminal scheme included incorporating their businesses with state agencies, managing their finances, advertising commercial sexual services online, recruiting and employing women to perform commercial sexual services in the businesses, and benefiting financially from the illegal enterprises. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"The defendants leased multiple commercial properties as storefronts, leased and bought residential properties to use as housing for employees, and secured credit card processing equipment to operate the illicit massage businesses.<\/span><\/p>\n

Griffin previously worked as a detective with the Vice Operations Unit of the San Diego Police Department, a unit tasked with dismantling the very businesses he operated and promoted for personal profit. <\/span><\/p>\n

Throughout the scheme, Griffin used the experience and skills he acquired through his work as a vice detective \u2013 and in at least one instance, his badge \u2013 to help the businesses evade law enforcement, thwart regulatory inspections, investigations, and any official action against the businesses, conceal evidence, and maintain a fa\u00e7ade of legitimacy. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"On another occasion, Griffin told an employee that he was a former police officer and instructed her not to \u201copen [her] mouth\u201d about her employment at the illicit massage business. <\/span><\/p>\n

Griffin also used resources he had access to his private investigator license to obtain information on customers and employees on behalf of the illicit massage businesses. <\/span><\/p>\n

During the scheme, the defendants encouraged and expected employees to perform commercial sexual services inside the businesses and relied on Griffin\u2019s law enforcement background to help conceal the criminal conduct. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"When one employee initially refused to perform commercial sexual services, one of the defendants instructed her to \u201cleave [her] morals in China\u201d in order to \u201cmake the customers happy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe defendant \u2013 a former vice detective who once took an oath to uphold our laws \u2013 knew more than most that illicit massage businesses cruelly profit by exploiting women for commercial sex,\u201d said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department\u2019s Civil Rights Division.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPeter Griffin misused the expertise acquired during his time as a vice detective and abused the respect that came with his badge \u2013 all to ensure that his \u2018massage parlors\u2019 operated under the radar for his personal financial gain,\u201d said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department\u2019s Criminal Division.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cThis criminal scheme involved illicit businesses that exploited a vulnerable population,\u201d said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman for the Southern District of California. \u201cWe are committed to prosecuting the offenses that impact not only the employees of these illicit businesses, but the safety of the communities in which they operate.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGriffin betrayed the pledge he took to uphold our laws and to protect the members of our community through his egregious misuse of power and knowledge,\u201d said Acting Special Agent in Charge John Kim of the FBI San Diego Field Office. \u201cWe appreciate the collaboration of our federal, state, and local partners to ensure that justice is served to Griffin and his co-conspirators. There is no place in our community for those who negligently prioritize money over people.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Griffin pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the Interstate Travel in Aid of Racketeering Act (ITAR) by using facilities in interstate commerce to promote and facilitate businesses involving prostitution and to wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering, for which he faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. <\/span><\/p>\n

Hernandez, Tan and Ott, who managed the different illicit massage businesses in Griffin\u2019s network, each pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony. They face up to three years in prison.<\/span><\/p>\n

The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force, a regional, multi-agency effort led by the California Department of Justice dedicated to supporting survivors and holding traffickers accountable.<\/span><\/p>\n

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jill Streja for the Southern District of California, Trial Attorney Caylee Campbell of the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section of the Criminal Division, and Trial Attorney Leah Branch of the Civil Rights Division\u2019s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit are prosecuting the case.<\/span><\/p>\n

Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit\u00a0www.humantraffickinghotline.org<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A former San Diego Police Department vice detective and his co-defendants each pleaded guilty Tuesday in connection with their operation of five illicit massage businesses in California and Arizona, federal officials stated….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10129,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[1725,3648,3649],"class_list":["post-52709","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-department-of-justice","tag-irs","tag-massage-parlors","tag-san-diego-police"],"yoast_head":"\nFormer San Diego Detective, Three Others Guilty of Multiple Crimes for Operating Five Illicit Massage Parlors<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A former San Diego Police Department vice detective and his co-defendants each pleaded guilty Tuesday in connection with their operation of five illicit\" \/>\n<meta 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