Three South Korean women were arrested Thursday after Berks County detectives raided the King Spa on Route 61 in Ontelaunee Township, the latest in a series of raids on massage parlors police say were fronts for prostitution.
Authorities identified the women as Kyung S. Cason, 59, who managed the operation, and workers Jung Hee Kim, 45, and Joung Hee Park, 38. The women lived in an apartment above the massage parlor at 5344 Pottsville Pike, which is Route 61.
Detectives raided the business after undercover officers said the workers agreed to perform sex acts for money.
Police said complaints from residents about possible prostitution at the business sparked the investigation.
Kim and Park were hiding in a closet when authorities raided the business about noon, investigators said. Cason was on the first floor, they said.
Investigators said they seized about $5,000, condoms, lubricants and other items.
Cason has prior convictions for prostitution and organized crime in several Southern states, investigators said.
Kim and Park were in the country illegally, police said.
All three were committed to the county prison after arraignment.
Contact Jason A. Kahl: 610-371-5024 or jkahl@readingeagle.com.