Prostitution Ring Operated In Upper East Side Rowhouse, City Says

Upper East Side NY

12 October, 2021

11:15 AM

Description

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — An illegal brothel has been operating out of an Upper East Side brownstone, the city contends in a new complaint against the building's owner. Earlier this year, police began investigating the second-floor space at 22 East 66th St. after a member of the public tipped off the NYPD's 19th Precinct in March, saying that workers there were engaging in prostitution. On June 2, an undercover officer visited the business, where a woman agreed to perform oral sex in exchange for $300, the lawsuit alleges. An officer returned on June 11 and again on June 17, agreeing to pay $300 both times for a "table shower" and sexual intercourse, respectively, the city says. The business in question is not named in the suit, but phone numbers posted on the windows of a second-floor spa inside the building match those listed on online forums for illicit massage parlors. "The only good thing I can say about the spa was how discreet it was," reads one review from an apparently dissatisfied patron. "2 floor walkup crooked staircase." The second-floor spa at 22 East 66th St., pictured in August. Phone numbers on the windows match those listed on online forums for illicit massage parlors. (Google Maps) Nobody answered the spa phones when Patch called on Tuesday, and messages were not immediately returned. Other businesses in the building include the Italian restaurant Avena and another spa. Citing a state law that classifies prostitution as a "public nuisance," the city is seeking a court order allowing it to shut down the business and have the sheriff's office clear the space. The building owners are listed under fake names in the complaint, indicating that the city does not know their identities. Public records suggest 22 East 66th St. is owned by a resident of Montclair, N.J.