Owners of Lutz massage parlor arrested for operating illegal prostitution ring, investigators say

LUTZ, Fla. - A married couple who owned a massage parlor in Lutz were using the business as a front to run a prostitution ring on property, investigators said.

Hillsborough County detectives said the couple, James Robert Smith and Nan Chen Smith, were operating the criminal ring out of 12 massage parlors between Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. Officials said the suspects and their business associates laundered more than $1 million into their bank accounts.

Sheriff Chad Chronister described the operation – dubbed as Operation Shared Hope – as something people would see in a movie. The investigation began back in September 2020.

He said the massage parlor, Simply Massage, was mentioned multiple times on adult online forums. Customers would enter, speak to a manager, negotiate the sexual acts, and then hand-pick the woman they wanted. Sheriff Chronister said some of the women were sleeping in the businesses to "maximize their profits." 

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"It's cases like this where women are being exploited that keep me up at night," he said Thursday. "We know that we have a human trafficking problem across this country. Florida's not immune to that, neither is Hillsborough County. That's why a few months ago, we established a human trafficking squad and we will continue to dedicate the resources until we eradicate human trafficking in Hillsborough County."

In total, deputies arrested seven people, including the Smiths. Chronister said it's unclear exactly how many women were forced or coerced into participating. 

He said the women were from across the U.S. Some were foreign and in the country illegally, officials add. 

Detectives also seized more than $750,000 in cash and vehicles. They said the Smiths likely purchased the vehicles with the money from the operation.

Chronister said the vehicles were one way the Smiths tried to hide the money.