Two people were sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to operating an illegal prostitution enterprise following a months-long investigation into a massage spa in Symmes Township.

Yinliu Shi, 45, and Zhiguo Zhang, 48, both of Flushing, New York, were sentenced on charges of promoting prostitution, money laundering and telecommunications fraud. The cases concluded earlier this week.

A third person involved in the case, Pingwei Cheng, 50, of Flushing, New York, remains wanted on a warrant. His indictment alleges three charges of promoting prostitution, one charge of money laundering, and one charge of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity.

The charges allege Cheng “knowingly established, maintained, operated, managed, supervised, controlled, or had an interest in a brothel or any other enterprise a purpose of which was to facilitate engagement in sexual activity for hire.”

“Illegal brothels are not victimless businesses,” said Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich. “They fuel exploitation, enrich criminals, and threaten the safety of our neighborhoods. Our office will continue working with our law enforcement partners to dismantle these operations and hold offenders accountable.”

The indictment relates to the Sunflower Spa on Loveland Madeira Road. According to the investigation, the defendants accepted cash payments for commercial sex acts inside the spa and laundered the proceeds through multiple bank accounts. Investigators estimate hundreds of thousands of dollars flowed through the operation. Shi lived in a nearby apartment with the women who worked in the spa. The illegal activity began as early as June 2023.

The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office Organized Crime Section led the investigation with cooperation from the Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission, the Ohio Governor's Human Trafficking Task Force, the Ohio Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the State Medical Board of Ohio. Additional assistance was provided by the Salvation Army of Cincinnati and the NYPD Joint Agency Warrant Squad.