Entries Tagged 'Chicago massage parlors' ↓

said the use of the term “massage parlor” offended him as well as other therapists and massage clientele.
…
described his Zen Shiatsu Chicago as both a massage clinic and a massage therapy school, and said the term “massage parlor” is too often employed as a code word for prostitution.
“I personally am unaware of a time in which ‘massage parlor’ didn’t have a sexual connotation to it,” he said. “It must have been before I entered the business.”
…
The potential financial strain the ordinance may place on massage establishment owners is also a point of concern for the local business owners. At the May 1 meeting of the Evanston Plan Commission, citizens expressed concern with this financial burden and criticized the 1,000-foot radius restriction and the connotations surrounding the terminology of “massage parlor.” 

See the full article from “Daily Northwestern”

The special use process, which requires review from the Evanston City Council, would allow the city to reject problematic applicants and offer a way to permanently close illegitimate massage establishments, according to a staff memo. A Chicago woman was arrested earlier this month at a massage parlor in the 1900 block of Howard Street and charged with prostitution after a sting operation by the Evanston Police Department.
Licensed massage therapist Sarah McLaughlin expressed concern with the distance requirement of 1,000 feet, a possible regulation change suggested in a staff memo.
“It’s a little bit difficult to believe there’s a judgment of the profession which we actually worked when there’s a prostitution problem and not a massage therapy problem,” she said.
At the meeting, committee member Scott Peters also suggested changing the defined term in the amendment to “massage establishment” instead of “massage parlor,” which McLaughlin said is “synonymous with illicit activity.”  

See the full article from “Daily Northwestern (blog)”

Chicago-area massage parlor operator convicted of human trafficking
…
The testimony and evidence showed that Campbell recruited and groomed foreign women without legal status in the United States to become part of his “Family,” which he claimed was an international organization that would provide them with support. He offered them jobs in his massage parlor, a place to live, assistance with immigration and lured each of them to enter into a romantic relationship with him. After gaining their trust, he forced the victims to get tattooed with his moniker, which he said made them his property and allowed him to stop paying them. The women were forced to work long hours every day and do as Campbell instructed them, and they were beaten and punished if they disobeyed him.
Trial testimony established that Campbell confiscated passports and identity documents from three of the victims, as well as harbored and transported them to ensure their continued labor. Campbell forced one victim to engage in commercial sex acts wi …

See the full article from “MMD Newswire (press release)”

Briefly: Veteran actress Loretta Devine has joined Lifetime’s new drama “The Client List” as a series regular, reports Deadline.com. Based on the network’s 2010 original movie, the series stars Jennifer Love Hewitt as Riley, a Texas housewife who after being deserted by her husband ends up running a massage parlor that serves as a front for a call-girl service. Devine will play the parlor’s owner.… Aretha Franklin—who announced Jan. 3 that she and her “forever friend” William “Willie” Wilkerson would wed this summer—released a statement this week with a change of plans. “Regretfully, To Our Friends and Supporters: Will and I have decided we were moving a little too fast, and there were a number of things that had not been thought through thoroughly,” said Franklin, 69. “There will be no wedding at this time.”

See the full article from “Frost Illustrated”

… A federal jury has convicted a suburban Chicago massage parlor owner of forcing undocumented immigrants to engage in prostitution. Federal prosecutors say a jury in Chicago found Alex Campbell guilty on Monday of several charges, including forced labor, harboring illegal aliens for financial gain, sex trafficking by force and extortion. During the trial, prosecutors contended the 45-year-old Campbell recruited undocumented immigrants to his Mount Prospect massage parlor with promises of a place to live and assistance with their immigration. He then confiscated their passports and visas and made them get tattoos. He told the women that the tattoos made them his property. Authorities say Campbell forced the women to work for him between July 2008 and January 2010.
…
During the trial, prosecutors contended the 45-year-old Campbell recruited undocumented immigrants to his Mount Prospect massage parlor with promises of a place to live and assistance with their immigration.

See the full article from “Carmi Times”

Massage Parlor Owner Found Guilty of Sex Trafficking
Updated: Tuesday, 31 Jan 2012, 7:46 AM CSTPublished : Tuesday, 31 Jan 2012, 7:46 AM CST
Sun-Times Media Wire
Chicago – A northwest suburban massage parlor owner who forced four foreign women into prostitution — and made them to get tattooed with his moniker to show he owned them — was convicted by a federal jury on Monday.
Alex Campbell was found guilty of three counts each of forced labor, harboring illegal alliens for financial gain, and confiscating passports and other immigration documents to force the victims to work. He was also convicted of one count each of sex-trafficking by force and extortion, a release from the U.S. Attorney’s office said.
…
He offered them jobs in his massage parlor, a place to live, assistance with immigration and lured each of them to enter into a romantic relationship with him, the release said. After getting that trust, he forced them to get tattooed with his moniker, which he said made them his property.

See the full article from “MyFox Chicago”

Suburban massage parlor pimp convicted
Posted 1/31/12 6:52 a.m.
CHICAGO (WLS) - A northwest suburban massage parlor owner who forced four foreign women into prostitution and tattooed them with his moniker faces at least 15 years in prison after he was convicted by a federal jury on Monday.
Alex Daddy Campbell was found guilty of three counts each of forced labor, harboring illegal immigrants for financial gain, and confiscating passports and other immigration documents to force the victims to work. He was also convicted of sex-trafficking by force and extortion.
…
He offered them jobs in his massage parlor, a place to live, assistance with immigration and lured each of them to enter into a romantic relationship with him. After getting that trust, he forced them to get tattooed with his name, which he said made them his property.

See the full article from “WLS”

While Elgin’s 2011 crime report looks promising, burglaries alone increased 31 percent. Still, violent crime as a whole went down in the city by 17 percent and serious crime — including all burglaries, robberies, homicides and assaults — reached its lowest point in 40 years. Full story.
As State of the State address nears, Quinn focuses on teacher pensions
In response to a dire new report on state finances, Gov. Pat Quinn said yesterday he wants schools and universities to help pay for their employees’ retirement costs. A statement from Quinn’s budget office said the practice of state government paying for the retirement of downstate teachers and professors “requires careful examination and reform” because “employers need to have a stake in funding their own employees’ pension costs.” Full story.
Former Mt. Prospect massage parlor operator guilty of human trafficking

See the full article from “Chicago Daily Herald”

CHICAGO — A federal jury has convicted a suburban Chicago massage parlor owner of forcing undocumented immigrants to engage in prostitution. 
…
CHICAGO — A federal jury has convicted a suburban Chicago massage parlor owner of forcing undocumented immigrants to engage in prostitution.  Federal prosecutors said a jury in Chicago found Alex Campbell guilty on Monday of several charges, including forced labor, harboring illegal aliens for financial gain, sex trafficking by force and extortion.   During the trial, prosecutors contended the 45-year-old Campbell recruited undocumented immigrants to his Mount Prospect massage parlor with promises of a place to live and assistance with their immigration.   He then confiscated their passports and visas and made them get tattoos. He told the women that the tattoos made them his property. Authorities said Campbell forced the women to work for him between July 2008 and January 2010.    

See the full article from “The State Journal-Register”

CHICAGO — A federal jury has convicted a suburban Chicago massage parlor owner of forcing undocumented immigrants to engage in prostitution. Federal prosecutors say a jury in Chicago found Alex Campbell guilty today of several charges, including forced labor, harboring illegal aliens for financial gain, sex trafficking by force and extortion. During the trial, prosecutors contended the 45-year-old Campbell recruited undocumented immigrants to his Mount Prospect massage parlor with promises of a place to live and assistance with their immigration. He then confiscated their passports and visas and made them get tattoos. He told the women that the tattoos made them his property. Authorities say Campbell forced the women to work for him between July 2008 and January 2010.
…
During the trial, prosecutors contended the 45-year-old Campbell recruited undocumented immigrants to his Mount Prospect massage parlor with promises of a place to live and assistance with their immigration.

See the full article from “Rockford Register Star”