Lang
9/24/25
Raids against Iowa City massage parlors have led to prostitution and money laundering charges against a married couple.
Iowa City Police were seen at Paradise Spa locations on 1st Avenue and Broadway Street on Tuesday. Court documents indicate 60-year-old Zhenshi Liu and 56-year-old Junping Ren…who own the two massage parlors and live above the Broadway Street location…are both charged with Pimping, Prostitution, Pandering for Prostitution, Money Laundering, and Ongoing Criminal Conduct.
Investigators say they interviewed customers who were leaving the two locations who told them they had received sex acts from workers, including Ren, or the workers had made offers to perform sex acts during massages for more money. Workers claimed they worked 13 ½ hour days, seven days a week, earning $70 an hour. But they also claimed $40 of that money went back to Liu and Ren and another $10 was allotted for room and board.
Liu and Ren allegedly promoted the spas on web sites used for human trafficking. Investigators say they laundered approximately $2.6 million between 2020 and last July. The couple’s son, 33-year-old Yang Liu of Hoover, Ala., is accused of assisting in laundering $1.5 million through his personal accounts. He’s charged with Money Laundering, and Ongoing Criminal Conduct.
Liu faces an additional 3rd Degree Sexual Abuse charge after he allegedly assaulted a woman during a massage at one of the Paradise Spa locations.
If convicted on all charges against them, Zhenshi Liu faces a maximum of 57 years in prison, Ren 47 years, and Yang Liu 35 years.