TRENTON, N.J. – A Brick Township man is among seven individuals charged in what state authorities describe as a large-scale prostitution and racketeering network operating illicit massage parlors across New Jersey and parts of New York.
Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Division of Criminal Justice announced that Thowleong Chew, 43, of Flushing, New York—represented by Brick-based attorney Nicholas A. Moschella Jr.—faces charges of first-degree racketeering, first-degree money laundering, second-degree promoting organized street crime, and third-degree promoting prostitution.
Chew is accused of working as a courier, transporting women and supplies between multiple spa locations used as fronts for prostitution.
Prosecutors say Chew’s alleged role was part of a broader criminal enterprise led by 50-year-old Jessica Yan Xiong of Oakland Gardens, New York, who is charged alongside six others. Xiong allegedly managed and profited from a network of illicit massage parlors operating under names such as Yan’s Massage and Reiki in Newfoundland, JW Holistic Spa in Fair Lawn, Star Massage and Reiki in Hillsborough, Kyoto 14 in Passaic, Violet Spa in Williamstown, and Sunny Spa in New Brunswick.
Other defendants include Zongan Lin, 50, of Lake Hiawatha; Zitian Zhang, 34, of New Hyde Park, New York; Min Li, 41, of Flushing; Ricardo Botti, 56, of Oak Ridge; and Alfredo Sibaja-Sanchez, 53, of West Milford. Each faces combinations of racketeering, money laundering, and prostitution-related charges for their alleged involvement.
Investigators say the organization generated more than $500,000 in illicit proceeds, with over $150,000 in cash seized during coordinated search warrants executed on December 2 across multiple locations in both states. The Attorney General’s Office said the network relied on exploitation and manipulation to sustain operations, with evidence showing women were moved between locations to provide sexual services under the guise of massage therapy.
Attorney General Platkin called the arrests the result of a complex, multi-agency investigation involving the Division of Criminal Justice, the Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, the West Milford Police Department, and law enforcement partners in New York City and Queens County.
If convicted, defendants face potential prison terms of 10 to 20 years on the racketeering and money laundering charges, along with substantial fines. All remain presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.