'Hundreds of condoms' destroy pipe, police raid Texas massage parlor

Video: Condom-clogged pipe leads to prostitution bust at massage parlor

A husband and wife accused of operating an Austin prostitution ring are facing felony charges following an investigation that began when police discovered a waste pipe connected to the business was clogged with "hundreds of condoms," according to records.

Juan Wang and her husband, Joseph Emery, the owners of Jade Massage Therapy LLC, each face a charge of engaging in organized criminal activity. Neither suspect was listed as an inmate at the Travis County Jail on Tuesday afternoon.

The investigation into the massage parlor began Feb. 7, when the property manager for the Jade Massage location in the 11400 block of North Ranch Road called police to express her suspicion that prostitution was happening at the business.

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She "became aware of a problem when an industrial waste disposal unit connecting the property to city sewer services became clogged and destroyed by hundreds of condoms," affidavits for Wang and Emery state.

The investigation into Wang and Emery's massage parlor prostitution ring began on February 7, when the property manager for one of Jade Massage's locations in the 11400 block of North Ranch Road called police to express her concern that prostitution was occurring there. less The investigation into Wang and Emery's massage parlor prostitution ring began on February 7, when the property manager for one of Jade Massage's locations in the 11400 block of North Ranch Road called police ... more Photo: Google Maps Photo: Google Maps Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close 'Hundreds of condoms' destroy pipe, police raid Texas massage parlor 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

The property manager's tip was the second complaint of possible prostitution at Jade Massage that police had received in three months.

After the discovery of the destroyed pipes, police searched Backpage.com, which often solicits prostitution services, for advertisements for the business.

They found several. Advertisements for Jade Massage were posted on Backpage.com as often as two to three times per day, the affidavits state.

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In the following weeks, police staked out Jade Massage's second location in the 9100 block of Anderson Mill Road. Officers pulled over a couple of suspected john's who had gone into the massage parlor, who allegedly both admitted that they had paid for sexual services during their time inside.

On March 22, members of the Austin Police Department Human Trafficking Unit and members of the Criminal Conspiracy Unit executed search warrants at the Alameda Trace Circle location.

Inside, Wang was found inside a room with a nude man, and another woman was found inside a different room with another nude male, the affidavit states.

Police simultaneously executed a search warrant at Wang and Emery's home and discovered over $65,000 in a safe.

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Further investigation into the couple revealed Wang had been stopped Feb. 5 at Austin Bergstrom International Airport by a TSA agent who found $30,000 in "duct taped bundles" of cash in her possession.

She claimed the money was earned from her massage business and that she was taking it with her to China to pay for a medical procedure. She was allowed to pass through with the money, but only after the agent called Emery to verify her story.

Both Wang and Emery would later tell police that they didn't know the names of their employees, who were all located and recruited by a "friend." Ledgers for Jade Massage showed no payments to the women, but they did show that Jade Massage's customers, almost all of whom were men, regularly tipped between $40 and $120 on top of a $60 charge.

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Twitter: @calebjdowns