ST. GEORGE — A woman from New York City was arrested at a local motel for prostitution after police say she agreed to perform certain sexual acts in exchange for money.
According to the probable cause statement filed in support of the arrest, an investigation was set in motion when investigators received a report that an Asian woman, later identified as 57-year-old Xue Fang Lu, was reportedly engaging in prostitution at a local area motel.
Officers were provided a phone number to reach the suspect and found an ad posted on a website commonly used to solicit prostitution with a phone number matching the one belonging to the suspect and given to police.
The undercover officer reached out to Lu and arranged for a meeting at one of the area hotels, the officer noted, adding that the conversation took place through telephone and text and included a dollar amount for the suspect’s time.
The officer went to the hotel room, and when the requested amount was paid, the suspect began performing the full body massage. During the massage, the officer asked for a specific sexual act, which Lu allegedly agreed to provide.
At that point, the woman was taken into custody by police. During an interview, the suspect reportedly told officers she was not a licensed massage therapist and was operating a business without one.
Lu was then transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility and booked into jail facing one count of operating a massage practice without a license and one count of prostitution, each a misdemeanor.
St. George Police Captain Jordan Minnick told St. George News the arrest was not part of any organized sting operation but instead was the product of “good proactive work by detectives.”
On Wednesday, the suspect was formally charged with the offenses and made an initial appearance in 5th District Court, a proceeding that was continued until Friday so the court could have a Chinese interpreter present. She remains in custody on $3,000 bail.
Law enforcement did not release the name of the motel in question.
This report is based on statements from court documents and law enforcement officials and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
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