Deal would close northeast Ohio massage parlors for year

WARREN, Ohio - Eight northeast Ohio massage parlors suspected as fronts for prostitution would close for a year, remove their building signs and give up their licenses under a tentative agreement seen as a victory by Warren officials who sought to shut down the businesses.

Authorities searched the spas in late May and found used condoms and about $90,000 in cash. According to search warrants, dozens or even hundreds of men sought illegal sex at the parlors, where authorities believed women, many of them Korean and poor English speakers, might have been working against their will.

The tentative agreement comes after officials took steps to revoke the spas' licenses and subpoenaed alleged spa clients to testify as the city took legal action. But the agreement was negotiated outside of court.

Warren Law Director Greg Hicks said the agreement effectively puts the parlors out of business and suggested it would be more difficult for the operators to get a license from the city health board if they reapply, The Vindicator in Youngstown reported .

Hicks said any further legal action would be left to county, state or federal authorities. He said 15 alleged spa customers who were subpoenaed have been given immunity from prosecution.

Attorney Harry DePietro, who represents some of the operators, said settling out of court was advantageous because of the potential for a related criminal case.

"I also thought that it was probably a good idea not to have on the (court) record what the city might have wanted to put on the record at this time because of the impending criminal charges, which we all believe are about to come," said DePietro, who represents Fantasy, Tokyo, and Moon Night spas.

He said the agreement benefits spa operators because it "starts the clock on their one year of not being in business" and allows them to retrieve personal items.

The law director also praised the removal of the businesses' signs and said the agreement paves the way for other tenants to move into the buildings.

"When you drive into town, you see these signs up there for massage parlors and so forth," Hicks said. "It just gave a seedy look to the area, and so, it was important to us, as part of any agreement on this, that the signage had to be removed."