Undercover investigation at Colonie massage parlors yields 6 arrests

COLONIE -- Police in Albany County arrested six people Tuesday during a sting operation investigating illegal massage parlors in the Capital Region.

According to the Albany County Sheriff's Office, undercover investigators entered Jasmine Beauty & Massage at 1741 Central Ave. in Colonie posing as customers and asked for a massage.

Once inside the massage rooms, the women conducting the massages requested more money to perform sex acts, according to the Sheriff's Office. At that point, the women were arrested.

The following individuals were arrested:

- Kuen Ling Cheng, 40, of Colonie, charged with felony third-degree promoting prostitution and felony unauthorized practice of a crime
- Yuqiu Zhao, 48, of Flushing, NYC, charged with felony unauthorized practice a crime and misdemeanor prostitution
- Ying Wang, 41, of Flushing, NYC,  charged with felony unauthorized practice a crime and misdemeanor prostitution
- Jin Mei Zhao, 52, of Colonie, charged with felony unauthorized practice a crime 
- Chi You Cheng, 63, of Flushing, NYC, charged with felony third-degree prostitution and misdemeanor fourth-degree criminal facilitation (Cheng is the father of Kuen Ling Cheng, police say)

Separately, police in Colonie arrested 45-year-old Zhu Lu of Latham at the Tao Beauty Salon at 215 Loudon Rd. in Colonie. Police say Lu agreed to engage in illegal services with undercover investigators Nov. 17, but that the business owners were unaware Lu was offering such business. Tao is a legitimate business, the Sheriff's Office said. 

Lu was charged with felony unauthorized practice a crime and misdemeanor prostitution.