Madam found guilty of pimping & pandering

Mei Jun Wang, 48 of La Quinta, was found guilty by a jury in Riverside County Superior Court of pimping and pandering.

The conviction was a result of a prostitution sting that occurred on February 21 , 2013, when Wang was arrested for pandering a prostitute.

As a part of a follow-up investigation by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department search warrants were served on Wang’s vehicles and home. During the investigation evidence was gathered that implicated Wang in the pimping of multiple prostitutes.

Wang had previously been implicated and arrested for pandering during a prostitution sting that occurred at the Point Happy Massage Parlor in La Quinta during 2009.

That sting lead to the closure of Point Happy Massage. Wang was also implicated during a Prostitution sting at Chinese Massage Parlor, a business which she owned, in Palm Desert in 2009. That sting also lead to the closure of Chinese Massage. Wang was also arrested for prostitution in 2009, but the charge was dismissed.

Law enforcement had suspected Wang of operating several brothels throughout the Coachella Valley.

Wang was also using classified ads online to pimp out women.

“A criminal enterprise is very similar to a legitimate enterprise in the economics are economics they find ways to diversify and figure out there local market and what they respond to here in the valley, working a street corner is not that effective,” said Donald Isaacs, investigator with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department working the Wang case.

Many prostitues are victims of human trafficking.

“In most cases there is a level of coercion, a level of force, in the cases of exploited adults, and we come across girls all the time that have no identification, they cant speak any English and they are afraid of law enforcement,” said Isaacs.

If sentenced to the maximum Wang would spend the next 6 years in prison.

Sentencing is scheduled for December 15.

LIKE JOE GALLI ON FACEBOOK OF FOLLOW HIM ON TWITTER!