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The operation conducted on Tuesday, Dec. 3, began after concerned residents tipped off authorities about suspicious activities at the New Paterson Massage & Coco Healthy Spa on McBride Avenue in Paterson and the Eastern Cozy Spa on Overmount Avenue in Woodland Park, Sheriff Thomas Adamo said.
Undercover detectives conducting surveillance at the locations reported being offered sexual acts, Adamo said. Investigators then entered the establishments, arresting two individuals at each location on charges of promoting prostitution.
At the New Paterson Massage & Coco Healthy Spa, $4,343 in suspected proceeds was seized, while $5,214 was confiscated from the Eastern Cozy Spa.
The individuals arrested and charged include:
- Wei Zhang, 48, of Queens, NY (New Paterson Massage & Coco Healthy Spa)
- Jim Yu Berninger, 69, of Queens, NY (New Paterson Massage & Coco Healthy Spa)
- Limei He, 41, of Queens, NY (Eastern Cozy Spa)
- Yansu Yang, 34, of Queens, NY (Eastern Cozy Spa)
“It is essential that residents feel comfortable in their own neighborhoods,” Adamo said. “I commend the concerned citizens who provided the information that made these arrests possible. Enforcement of quality-of-life issues will be a priority of my tenure as Sheriff."
The operation was a joint effort involving the Sheriff’s Office Bureau of Narcotics, Woodland Park Police, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
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