Evanston Police Charge Masseuse with Prostitution

Evanston police charged Haihua Zhang, 43, with misdemeanor prostitution after she allegedly agreed to perform a sex act in exchange for money at a south Evanston massage parlor.

Evanston police spokesman Cmdr. Jay Parrott said that police responded to community complaints of possible prostitution at a combination acupuncture center and massage parlor located in the 1900 block of Howard Street, and that an undercover officer paid a visit to the business at around 3 p.m. on Wednesday.

“One of the officers in the unit posed as a customer,” Parrott said, “and after entering the location, engaged in a conversation with an employee, and, in exchange for money, there was an agreement made for the performance of a sex act.”

Prostitution in Evanston-based massage parlors is no new occurrence, said Parrott, who stated that Evanston police had helped shut “several [parlors] in the past several years.”

However, police are reportedly still investigating to determine whether or not Zhang acted alone.

“I don’t know specifically if the whole business was performing this type of service or if this was individually based,” Parrott said. “Generally, though, if it’s taking place in a facility, more than one individual is involved.”

According to a Chicago Tribune article, a man named Dr. Mark Xiang, who answered the phone at the massage parlor, said that that Evanston police had set Zhang up by visiting  the business multiple times to request sex acts, even though she repeatedly declined. The article stated that Parrott said he was unaware of previous police activity in the massage parlor.

Zhang, a Chicago resident, is due to appear in Skokie district court on May 21.

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