SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. — Two women suspected of engaging in prostitution out of a Sarasota spa were arrested by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
According to the Sarasota County Sheriff's Department, Yueqing Gao, 50, and Guomei Xiong, 46, were arrested by HSI on July 5 while flying through John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
Gao and Xiong became subjects of the investigation in early 2022 after complaints were received about the New Moka Spa, claiming that employees were providing sexual services in exchange for money.
When a search warrant was executed on the spa in May 2023, Gao and Xiong had already left the United States.
They were re-entering the country from New York earlier this month when they were both arrested and taken to Riker's Island Correctional Facility.
Gao and Xiong were extradited to the Sarasota County Correctional Facility last week and released on bond.
They are both charged with one felony count of deriving support from the proceeds of prostitution. Additionally, Gao was charged with two misdemeanor counts of facilitating a prostitution business.
