EVERETT, Wash. — This week, the City of Everett announced a months-long crackdown on illicit massage businesses, making it the latest in a series of Western Washington cities to take action against human trafficking and sex work at massage parlors.
Officials said 44 massage parlors were suspected of breaking the law.
Though only some have been shut down so far, Everett police said their efforts are ongoing.
The crackdown was a joint effort between the city, the Washington State Office of the Attorney General and the nonprofit The Network.
“The illicit massage industry is really the cornerstone of where we find commercial sex exploitation in the United States,” Steve Vienneau, chief partnership officer at The Network, said. “It’s the quiet cornerstone.”
Vienneau joined The Network after more than 20 years with the FBI. The organization aims to fight human trafficking by bringing down illicit massage partners. Much of its work involves scraping the internet for online discussions about sex work.
“There are websites where illicit massage businesses can post advertisements,” Vienneau said. “There are other websites where buyers can talk about and post about their experiences.”
In Everett, The Network identified dozens of suspected illicit massage parlors and handed the data over to the city and the AG’s office, which began a multi-pronged approach to clear them out.
“This has had a direct impact in shutting them down immediately,” Maggi Qerimi, a managing attorney at the AG’s office, said.
Qerimi told KIRO 7 her team started reaching out to landlords who were renting space to the massage parlors, warning them of the suspected sex work going on at their properties and urging them to take action.
“11 of those businesses closed down as a result of our letter engagement with those landlords,” she said. “I believe there are a few others that are in the process of being shut down.”
Meanwhile, Everett police and the fire marshal started visiting the businesses and inspecting them. Police shared images of makeshift sleeping quarters inside.
Eight of the buildings were reportedly condemned as a result, though three have since reopened. 10 citations were issued as well, mostly related to licensing violations.
Everett police said no human trafficking victims were recovered, though employees were put in touch with resources to help.
According to a recently published report by The Network, there are more than 500 illicit massage parlors in Washington, the fifth-most of any state in the country.
“When organizations and agencies take efforts to shut them down, they can no longer hide and exploit more people,” Vienneau said.
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