Overlea, MD - It sits back a bit from the road and the main entrance was on the side.There was a neon sign in the window neighbors say they even had a massage table in the front window.
But for the two years or so they were there they were busy all day and all night. People in the area suspected something was wrong but they didn't know for sure. "All the time they were coming and going you'd see a lot of people coming and going all hours of the day and night you didn't see no girls but a lot of guys going in, all sorts all kinds all ages" One neighbor, who did not want his name used told ABC 2 News.
And after months of wiretaps and surveillance the FBI raided the so called Elite Spa on Bel Air Road back in May as part of a multi-state prostitution ring with brothels in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and here in Overlea.
Federal authorities have detailed an operation that used more than 20 Asian women to staff a string of bogus massage and acupuncture businesses in five states.
Twelve of the women used were undocumented. They couldn't leave the house and spoke little to no English. “I would always talk to them only one of them spoke English the rest of them spoke broken English and I'd always wave and they'd wave to me and we have a few rabbits here and I'd throw carrots out for the rabbits." Neighbor Lena Harrington says.
She says she would sometimes talk with the women on the rare occasions they came outside.
Harrington says they were polite and the house was quiet. The only noise she heard was when the feds raided the place.
"Once in a while I'd sit out side and Tina the one who seemed to be in charge would talk to me that’s about it I was really shocked one day i woke up and said oh my God someone's breaking into someone's house." Harrington says.
Five people were arrested in the raid including 46 year old Michael Shen of Stroudsburg Pennsylvania the alleged ringleader. But neighbors feel for the women who were in that house and forced live that way. At this point the investigation is on-going as authorities see if more charges can be added in this case. If convicted the five arrested could face more than 70 years in prison.
Link (with video):
http://www.abc2news.com/dpp/news/crime_checker/baltimore_county_crime/feds-bust-multi-state-asian-brothel-operation%3B-overlea-home-raided
But for the two years or so they were there they were busy all day and all night. People in the area suspected something was wrong but they didn't know for sure. "All the time they were coming and going you'd see a lot of people coming and going all hours of the day and night you didn't see no girls but a lot of guys going in, all sorts all kinds all ages" One neighbor, who did not want his name used told ABC 2 News.
And after months of wiretaps and surveillance the FBI raided the so called Elite Spa on Bel Air Road back in May as part of a multi-state prostitution ring with brothels in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and here in Overlea.
Federal authorities have detailed an operation that used more than 20 Asian women to staff a string of bogus massage and acupuncture businesses in five states.
Twelve of the women used were undocumented. They couldn't leave the house and spoke little to no English. “I would always talk to them only one of them spoke English the rest of them spoke broken English and I'd always wave and they'd wave to me and we have a few rabbits here and I'd throw carrots out for the rabbits." Neighbor Lena Harrington says.
She says she would sometimes talk with the women on the rare occasions they came outside.
Harrington says they were polite and the house was quiet. The only noise she heard was when the feds raided the place.
"Once in a while I'd sit out side and Tina the one who seemed to be in charge would talk to me that’s about it I was really shocked one day i woke up and said oh my God someone's breaking into someone's house." Harrington says.
Five people were arrested in the raid including 46 year old Michael Shen of Stroudsburg Pennsylvania the alleged ringleader. But neighbors feel for the women who were in that house and forced live that way. At this point the investigation is on-going as authorities see if more charges can be added in this case. If convicted the five arrested could face more than 70 years in prison.
Link (with video):
http://www.abc2news.com/dpp/news/crime_checker/baltimore_county_crime/feds-bust-multi-state-asian-brothel-operation%3B-overlea-home-raided
and there was a Elementary school very close by! WTF 
