Neighbors react to raid on spa in town
Apr. 25—The FBI and the Niagara County Sheriff's Office earlier this week raided a Lockport spa business as part of an ongoing prostitution probe.
The Tuesday raid on New Elegant Shiatsu, 5714 S. Transit Road, is connected to a six-month criminal investigation into the now-closed business.
Linian Song, the owner and manager, has been charged with interstate racketeering. Prosecutors allege that she was operating an "illicit massage business" out of her Lockport storefront and another spa business she owns in Rochester.
The criminal complaint filed with the U.S. District Court in Buffalo says Song previously performed commercial sex acts at spas in Minnesota and Texas.
The complaint, filed Monday, states that in October 2023 the Niagara County Sheriff's Office "conducted multiple traffic stops on individuals observed departing New Elegant Shiatsu...upon being interviewed, the individuals indicated they received sexual services from two different adult female masseuses in exchange for cash."
Following that, the sheriff's office discovered online posts on "Backpage-type websites" advertising sexual and/or massage services associated with the spa.
Through GPS tracking on Song's vehicle, law enforcement determined that she picked up an unidentified female from Buffalo Niagara International Airport in December and that Song's Toyota RAV4 made frequent trips between Lockport and Rochester.
In February, sheriff's deputies pulled over Song's vehicle as it was driven by a spa employee who provided a driver license issued by the People's Republic of China. The passenger in the vehicle was another employee; Song was not in the vehicle, investigators said.
According to the complaint, immigration records show that the two employees, who are Chinese citizens, illegally entered the U.S. through Mexico last year. They had encountered U.S. Border Patrol Agents in San Diego, Calif., and were issued notices to appear in court for unlawful entry into the United States.
Addresses and contact information that the employees provided to police were subsequently traced back to Song.
Niagara County Sheriff Michael Filicetti said his office is still working with the FBI on the investigation.
"(It's) still very active and I cannot comment further at this point," Filicetti said.
When visiting the site of the now-closed spa Thursday afternoon, this reporter observed signs related to the business had been taken down and a sign stating "closed" was hung on the door.
George Ames, owner of neighboring business A&S Sew Vac, told the Union-Sun & Journal that he was surprised when the FBI and Niagara County Sheriff's personnel showed up a few doors down from his shop Tuesday morning.
"There had to be 15 to 20 FBI agents from full jackets to probably just detectives or whatever," Ames said.
When Ames first saw a sheriff's deputy standing outside the spa that morning, he thought there might have been a break-in there.
"Then I carried something out to a car for somebody and all of a sudden there's like, all these FBI people there," he said.
Joe Lagreca, owner of Synergy Hair Studio, which is directly next door to the former spa, said he wasn't at work when the raid occurred, but praised the efforts of the sheriff's department.
"There was no interruption to our business and they executed flawlessly," Lagreca said.
