Behind the darkened windows and hidden side doors throughout hundreds of towns in New Jersey an underground sex business thrives. It holds women against their will, sidesteps tax laws and fuels organized crime's pockets, says the state's watchdog agency. The underworld of illicit massage businesses is not only participating in fraud and tax evasion, said the report published by the State Commission of Investigation SCI , but also appears to be a hub for kidnapping and human trafficking.
A multi-year investigation by the commission looked into approximately massage businesses across the state, including some in Monmouth and Ocean counties, after legislators were concerned about the industry's veiled operations, said the commission's spokesperson, Kathy Hennessy-Riley. The report drew from interviews with local police, health inspectors and fire marshals, along with investigators who visited suspicious massage businesses to conduct surveillance and obtained sworn testimony from employees.
Confidential sources were also tapped to provide first-hand information on how these businesses sidestepped and circumvented laws governing the commerce. The money to be made by running these massage parlors has fueled the growth of the underground industry. Nationwide, the number has swelled to an estimated 13, as of , an increase of around 38 percent from , according to the report.
SCI called these illicit businesses a blight on communities and pointed to the appalling effects on the victims involved. Investigators used reviews posted for over Jersey-based massage businesses on an explicit sex-buyer website over the past two years to determine which businesses to look at for questionable activities. Of the businesses statewide, Monmouth County hosts 55 active massage and bodywork employer licenses and Ocean County holds another 27, Hennessy-Riley said.
While not mentioned in the report, Hennessy-Riley said the investigation did look into massage parlor businesses in those two counties but declined to cite which ones specifically. The Asbury Park Press separately noted those towns that had prostitution-related arrests in this or previous years and that hosted massage parlor businesses.
