HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — The owners of a Lutz massage business, and several others, are behind bars after law enforcement says they were running an illegal prostitution ring.
Operation Shared Hope began in Sept. 2020 after the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office says it received a tip about "illegal activity" happening at Simply Spa.
An investigation was opened and detectives were able to determine the businesses' owners James Robert Smith and Nan Chen Smith were "running an illegal prostitution ring at the property and using the business as a front."
A deeper look into the duo's history showed they were linked to 12 other massage businesses that are believed to be a part of a criminal ring, according to a press release.
Detectives say they also found evidence that the Smiths and several others laundered more than $1 million into their bank accounts. The sheriff's office adds it was able to recover $750,000 between cash and cars related to the criminal ring.
In total, seven people, including James and Nan, were arrested as part of Operation Shared Hope.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, St. Petersburg Police Department, Largo Police Department helped execute search warrants related to the case.
"If not stopped by Operation Shared Hope, this criminal organization had immediate plans to expand with the addition of two more parlors in Tampa Bay," said Sheriff Chad Chronister. "We know most of these women are being trafficked. We can only hope and pray that they will come forward so we can get them the help and resources to rescue them from this horrific cycle."
You can watch the sheriff's office's full announcement below: