TOPEKA (KSNT) – Three suspects arrested in a Topeka human trafficking investigation made their first appearances Thursday in Shawnee County District Court.

Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay confirmed with KSNT News Thursday morning that three people in custody at the Shawnee County Jail were arrested in connection with Wednesday’s human trafficking sting, which saw multiple law enforcement agencies serve search warrants at six Topeka spas.

Chengzhu Lu (Courtesy Photo/Shawnee County Department of Corrections)
Hong Gao (Courtesy Photo/Shawnee County Department of Corrections)
Xue Bai (Courtesy Photo/Shawnee County Department of Corrections)

Chengzhu Lu, 43, was booked into the Shawnee County Jail at 9:05 p.m. on Jan. 26. The booking report states Lu was arrested for promoting prostitution, soliciting for prostitution, prostitution and sexual intercourse.

Xue Bai, 43 was booked into the Shawnee County Jail at 8:45 p.m. The report states Bai was arrested for promoting prostitution, maintaining a house for prostitution, prostitution and sexual intercourse. Bai is being held for positive identification.

Hong Gao, 43, was booked into the Shawnee County Jail at 8:35 p.m. The report states Gao was arrested for promoting prostitution, maintaining a house for prostitution, and prostitution.

During the trio’s first hearings Thursday morning, Shawnee County District Court Judge Penny Moylan decided to hold each of them on $100,000 bonds and take their passports away, expressing concerns about the three being “flight risks.” She forbid Bai, Gao and Lu from out-of-county or state travel without permission from the court, and said they were not allowed to contact any alleged victims found in the trafficking sting.

The sting was the result of a group of Kansas and federal law enforcement agencies teaming up for several criminal investigations, The Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office said members of the group, known as the Kaw Valley Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force, executed search warrants at the following businesses:

  • Oriental Health Spa – 2611 SW 21st St.
  • Healing Massage – 4209 SW 21st St.
  • Moon Spa – 3124 SW 29th St.
  • Rising Sun Asian Massage Spa – 5123 SW 29th St.
  • Healing Star Massage – 5501 SW 29th St.
  • Rainbow Massage – 5219 SW 7th St.

Neither the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office nor the district attorney specified what spa each of the three arrested were working at. Moylan set the trio’s next court dates for April 27 at 9 a.m.