Sevens Legal Attorney Representing Massage Parlor Owner in Illicit Sex Scheme Case
Criminal defense attorney Crystal Erlandson of Sevens Legal, APC is serving as legal counsel to a massage parlor owner charged along with three others, including a former San Diego police officer, with allegedly operating and promoting illicit massage businesses in California and Arizona. The defendants are accused of using the businesses to sell commercial sex under the guise of offering therapeutic massage services, federal prosecutors stated.
Details of the Alleged Criminal Scheme
According to allegations raised in the indictment, former SDPD vice detective Peter Griffin, 78, owned and operated five illicit massage businesses with Kyung Sook Hernandez, 58, Yu Hong Tan, 56, and a fourth defendant between 2013 and August 2022. “Their alleged criminal scheme included using cell phones, the internet, and banking channels to register their businesses; advertise commercial sexual services online; employ multiple women to perform commercial sexual services in the businesses; manage the illicit businesses’ finances; and benefit financially from their illegal enterprise,” stated the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California in an August 2022 press release.
Federal Criminal Charges and Potential Penalties
The defendants have been indicted on a number of federal charges, including racketeering conspiracy, money laundering, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud, and making false statements to a mortgage lender. If convicted, they could face up to five years in prison and $250,000 in fines for the racketeering conspiracy charges; up to ten years in prison and $250,000 in fines or twice the amount of the criminally derived property for money laundering; and up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud, as well as for making false statements to a mortgage lender.
According to prosecutors, federal investigators from the Department of Homeland Security oversaw the investigation into the alleged massage parlor sex scheme, along with the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation division and the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force, a multi-agency effort led by the California Department of Justice.
About Sevens Legal Criminal Defense Firm
Sevens Legal, APC is San Diego’s premier criminal defense firm, representing clients in need of exceptional legal services throughout Southern California and San Diego County. Our defense attorneys at Sevens Legal have over 40 years of combined experience and litigation success, and are committed to aggressively representing our clients’ best interests in state and federal criminal cases. Attorney Crystal Erlandson’s primary focus is serious federal felony cases and she has experience defending clients against all manner of federal charges, from racketeering to money laundering to wire fraud to human trafficking.
Contact Sevens Legal for Help with Your Criminal Case
At Sevens Legal, we know how devastating a criminal charge can be, especially a federal charge carrying a lengthy potential prison sentence. If you have been charged with a federal crime like money laundering or wire fraud, your future and freedom could be in jeopardy. Contact our federal crimes defense attorneys at (619) 430-2355 now to discuss the best possible defense strategy for your case. We offer a free initial consultation and our highly skilled criminal defense team is just a phone call away.