Second person charged in West Valley prostitution investigation

WEST VALLEY CITY — A second person has been charged in connection with an alleged West Valley prostitution operation that operated as a massage parlor.

An arrest warrant was issued Wednesday in 3rd District Court for Fenglian Qin, 44, of Monterey Park, Calif., for engaging in a variety of unlawful activities, a second-degree felony. Exploitation of Prostitution, a felony of the third degree; and aiding and abetting prostitution, a Class A misdemeanor.

In August, the owner of KK Spa, 3411 S. Redwood Road, Larry Echols, 60, of Murray, was charged with the same crimes.

The investigation began in March 2023 when an investigator with the Utah Division of Professional Licensing visited the business after “discovering that several girls employed by KK Spa were not licensed to provide massages,” charging documents state. There he observed one of the employees being naked and performing a sexual act, the charges say.

In March of this year, West Valley police sent several undercover officers to the business. Each was offered sexual acts by the women, who, according to the charges, would give massages in exchange for money.

Investigators also discovered that several women from the company were staying in a hotel next door. In May, multiple search warrants were served and over $33,000 in cash was seized.

During the investigation, police also discovered that Qin allegedly helped reserve hotel rooms for the women.

“It also appears from the correspondence between Qin and (Echols) that Qin gave (Echols) several instructions regarding paying the facility’s bills, paying for the hotel room, transporting women, and instructions for transporting large amounts of cash through the TSA has,” the loading documents say.

“(Qin) actively participated in and directed an enterprise that exploited and facilitated prostitution. “This included providing housing and other essentials to the women working at the facility, which he directed co-defendant Larry Echols to pay for,” prosecutors stated in their indictment.

After the search warrants were served, investigators believed she fled to California.