What looked like everyday storefront spas along Broad Street in Montoursville are now at the center of a human trafficking case, with state police securing arrest warrants for two operators accused of forcing women into sexual acts during so-called massages. The warrants follow multiple searches in May at the Montoursville spas, where investigators say evidence pointed to full-scale brothel operations. Authorities allege workers were threatened, had their identification taken, and were paid little or nothing for sex acts.
According to PennLive, the arrest warrants issued June 24 name Xia Sun and Liuping Li and lay out a slate of allegations tied to running the businesses, including human trafficking and involuntary servitude. Prosecutors also allege the two conspired to promote prostitution and kept tight control over workers by restricting access to passports and other identification.
The first major break in the case came on May 2 at Jia Yuan Spa on Broad Street, where police executed a search and say they found cash, condoms, a transaction ledger and bank deposit records, the Sun-Gazette reported. Montoursville officers charged one woman during that raid, and court records show she later waived a preliminary hearing and was released on bail.
PennLive reports that several employees told investigators they were held against their will, threatened if they tried to leave, and had passports or IDs withheld. The affidavit also says law enforcement traced about $7,500 to a bank account linked to one of the operators. Those claims are outlined in court documents and remain under active investigation.
How the raids unfolded
A second Broad Street storefront, Bin’s Asian Spa, was hit later in May after a confidential source reported paying for sexual services there, and police arrested people connected to that location, the Sun-Gazette found. Officials told investigators that neither spa had a valid license and said the evidence seized looked far more like commercial sex operations than legitimate massage businesses.
Pattern across Pennsylvania
Local authorities say what they found in Montoursville tracks with a broader wave of enforcement against illicit massage parlors across Pennsylvania. Regional coverage by WGAL and a 2025 press release from the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General detail other investigations that uncovered similar allegations of trafficking and organized commercial sex at strip-mall spas around the state.
Legal status and next steps
The charges described in the Montoursville warrants are felonies that carry heavy potential prison time if the defendants are convicted. Prosecutors are stressing that the warrants outline allegations only and that the accused are presumed innocent while the cases move forward. Investigators say the probe is ongoing, with additional leads under review, and are urging anyone with information to contact local law enforcement as the cases proceed in Lycoming County courts.
