Couple charged with prostitution after man, 71, died of heart attack during naked rubdown at their massage parlor
A couple has been charged with prostitution after a 71-year-old man died of a heart attack while getting a naked rubdown at a massage parlor.
Michael Langille and Lier Guo, who run Westborough Wellness Spa in Massachusetts, were taken into custody on Tuesday after police carried out a search of the business.
An investigation was launched in December 2024 after a man collapsed and was rushed to the hospital, according to court records.
'The male was found to be nude, which was unusual under the circumstances,' police wrote in a statement of facts.
A spa employee ran out of the house after the man suffered the heart attack, police said.
Officers then carried out a court-approved search of the spa, which is located inside a typical two-story home in a residential neighborhood.
Langille and Guo each face a felony charge of deriving support from prostitution, plus misdemeanor charges of keeping a house of prostitution and procuring a person to practice prostitution, according to court records viewed by the Boston Globe.
Both defendants were arraigned in Westborough District Court, with Langille being held on $250,000 bail, according to Boston.com.
A massage room inside the home, where customers were allegedly offered sexual services, according to court records
According to investigators, the spa did not have the appropriate licenses to give body massages. Pictured: An advertisement for the business
Authorities found that he spa did not have the correct licenses to be giving body massages.
Guo was the only licensed masseuse, but police discovered at least two other Asian women who apparently lived at the spa and were giving out massages.
Police also said that Westborough Wellness was featured in 'numerous online advertisements indicating that sexual services were being offered.'
Before the arrests were made, a Westborough police detective went inside the spa and called the phone number on one of the advertisements. The spa's phone rang, according to court records.
After this piece of evidence was uncovered, Westborough District Court allowed police to monitor the spa with a pole camera, a surveillance device routinely used by law enforcement.
This was how police were able to identify 13 clients, 12 of them male and one female. Eight agreed to interviews with detectives, according to the statement of facts.
Six clients said they were offered sexual services, while three admitted to receiving a 'hand job' from their masseuse, according to police.
The female client who spoke to police said she heard noises in the room above her, which led her to suspect the spa of giving out happy endings.
Michael Langille, the owner of Westborough Wellness Spa (pictured), and Lier Guo, the manager, were arrested
Police said the two young Asian women living at the spa were the ones doling out sexual services. According to their account, they were also not being paid by Langille and Guo.
'These observations suggest that they are not retaining proceeds from the illegal activities and are instead providing cash payments to Langille and/or Guo,' police said in court documents.
Police suspect this could be a human trafficking operation. They added that the arrests will allow them to speak with potential victims 'free from duress.'
Guo and Langille's next court date is on March 9.
