https://www.wtkr.com/news/norfolk-man-sentenced-in-virginia-beach-williamsburg-prostitution-money-laundering-scheme

NORFOLK, Va. — A Norfolk man was sentenced to 37 months in prison for his role in a money laundering prostitution scheme out of Virginia Beach and Williamsburg.

Ye Wang, 32, conspired with co-defendants Si Liu and Yang Gao to move and hide money earned through prostitution, according to court docs. Wang, Liu and Gao operated unregistered, illicit massage parlors in Virginia Beach and Williamsburg that made money from female employees' prostitution.

The Department of Justice says that Wang and the others recruited women online to perform sex acts for massage parlor customers for cash.

Gao managed day-to-day operations at the parlor, provided transportation for women and maintained the unlicensed facilities, according to the DOJ. Wang helped Gao with the operations of the illicit commercial sex business. The DOJ says that Liu helped exploit the women, collected the money from the illegal activities, managed the online advertising and encouraged women to perform sex acts by providing condoms and offering financial incentives.

The three would split the prostitution money with the employed women by collecting the earnings from the parlors and depositing a percentage of the profits into bank accounts, according to the DOJ. The money was transferred to more people part of the larger scheme through cash deliveries and mobile banking.

The DOJ says that a total of $696,706.65 was laundered during the conspiracy.

Liu was sentenced on Aug. 30 to 30 months in prison, and Gao was sentenced to 48 months.

A plea agreement reached by the three defendants forfeited four vehicles, more than $130,000, jewelry, a gold bar and three personal residences, according to DOJ. The total value of the forfeited items is more than $1 million.