Massage parlor owner sentenced for harboring Chinese prostitute

A federal judge on Monday sentenced the owner of a Wichita massage parlor to two years of supervised release for knowingly harboring a Chinese prostitute.

Samir F. Elias, 61, also agreed to forfeit more than $32,000 and a 2004 Honda Element, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said. The judge also ordered him to pay another $52,000 in connection with the crimes, which occurred at GiGi’s Elite Massage at 357 N. Hillside and 6611 E. Central.

Prosecutors say Elias knew that the prostitute – a woman identified by the initials F.Y. – wasn’t in the United States lawfully and that she sold sex at his business. He also let her live at his home, near Maple and 119th, drove her to and from work and made her turn over money she earned, Beall said.

A Wichita police detective arrested F.Y. during an undercover sting operation after she offered him sexual services during a massage. Elias, who was later charged, pleaded guilty in September to one count of harboring an alien for financial gain and one count of importation of an alien for prostitution.

This story was originally published December 12, 2016 at 4:28 PM with the headline "Massage parlor owner sentenced for harboring Chinese prostitute."