By KIMBERLY EDDS
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
BUENA PARK A day spa nestled in a busy Buena Park strip mall was a front for prostitution, police say, with a months-long investigation into allegations of illicit business dealings culminating in a police raid Thursday.
Five women who worked at the Lincoln Day Spa were rounded up and arrested on suspicion of prostitution, along with the spa's owner.
The investigation into the prostitution ring began on a complaint about suspicious activity at the spa in the 6900 block of Lincoln Avenue, said Sgt. William Kohanek of the Buena Park Police Department. The spa advertised massages and acupuncture, but sex was also being sold, police said.
Undercover officers witnessed prostitution being sold, Kohanek said.
During Thursday's raid, the owner of the Lincoln Day Spa, Timothy Tuney Pham, 39, of Huntington Beach, was arrested on suspicion of operating outside the scope of a legitimate business. Tuyen Thuy Nguyen, 24, of Garden Grove; Nghi Nguyen, 37, of Midway City; Hanh Thi My Nguyen, 51, of Garden Grove, and Cindy Crawford, 37, of Westminster were all arrested on suspicion of prostitution.
Business records and money were also seized by investigators, Kohanek said.
All five people were cited and released, he
said.
Contact the writer: 714-796-7829 or [email protected]
Cindy Crawford
Hanh Thi My Nguyen
Nghi Nguyen
Tuyen T. Nguyen
Timothy Pham