Two Chinese nationals have been sentenced to two years in federal prison for operating illegal massage parlors in Illinois and Indiana that facilitated prostitution activities. The sentencing took place in Benton, Illinois, as announced by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois on October 30th.
The individuals involved, 27-year-old Cao Yalong from Schaumburg, Illinois, and 58-year-old Jianhong Hu Allbright from Shoals, Indiana, were found guilty of their crimes. Steven D. Weinhoeft, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, stated that this case “has protected victims who could have continued to be trapped in these criminal activities.”
In July 2025, prosecutors brought charges against Cao and Hu. They later pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States and one count of money laundering. Their criminal activities spanned from March 2022 to June 2024.
According to court documents, over the course of more than two years, the duo profited more than $25,000 through their illegal businesses located in Centralia, Harrisburg, Mount Vernon, and Vandalia in Illinois, as well as in Corydon, Indiana.
The illegal massage parlors operated under various names, including “Oriental Home Spa & Massage,” “Sunflower Spa,” and “Oasis Massage Spa.” Court documents revealed that Hu Allbright was responsible for the day-to-day operations of these parlors, including arranging transportation for female employees engaged in commercial sexual transactions and providing them with necessities. Meanwhile, Cao Yalong was tasked with recruiting employees and collecting income from their prostitution activities. Both acknowledged that they had posted related advertisements online.
On October 30th, Brendan F. Kelly, the Chief of Police in Illinois, remarked in a statement that “human trafficking is one of the most challenging crimes to investigate and prosecute, making these convictions a significant victory.”
Criminal pleadings in this case indicated that law enforcement officials rescued 11 women believed to have been forced into commercial sexual transactions during a search warrant executed on the massage parlors in June 2024.
Matthew Scarpino, the Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago, stated on October 30th: “No victim should ever be treated as a commodity, and no criminal organization should escape justice.”
In recent years, several other cases involving Chinese nationals running illegal massage parlors have come to light.
In September, a Chinese national surnamed Jin was sentenced to a prison term ranging from 40 months to 20 years in Michigan. This sentencing reflects the common indeterminate sentencing practice in the Michigan criminal justice system, where the minimum term is set at 40 months while the maximum can extend to 20 years. Authorities accused Jin of operating two illicit massage establishments in the Detroit metropolitan area, corroborating that multiple women of Chinese and Korean descent were victims of a human trafficking operation.
In March of this year, a district court judge in New York sentenced a Chinese individual named Qingquin “Coco” Xie to 16 months in prison. Xie had no legal residency status in the United States and operated a prostitution business utilizing a massage parlor from July 2023 until August 2025.
Furthermore, in January, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania announced that four Chinese nationals faced nine criminal charges, including conspiracy, human trafficking, immigration violations, and money laundering.
These cases highlight the ongoing issue of illegal massage parlors and human trafficking, underscoring the need for continued vigilance and enforcement against such crimes.