Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Editor’s note: Content in this report may not be appropriate for younger readers.
A Clovis massage parlor owner and her associate are facing federal racketeering charges after allegations their employees offered illicit commercial sex.
Shaoping Wen, 64, and Xu Wang, 41, were charged with conspiracy to use interstate travel in aid of racketeering enterprises, court records show.
They were arrested March 24. Records show Wen is the owner of several massage parlors across New Mexico and Texas, including one in Clovis, two in Carlsbad, two in Roswell and three in Lubbock.
Between June 2023 and February 2024, undercover law enforcement officers started to purchase $60 massages at Wen’s establishments in both states, records show. According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the officers would be introduced to “lingerie-clad women” who would agree to do sexual services for a fee, usually $140 to $200.
The women then would be arrested for prostitution, where on several occasions Wen and Wang would allegedly show up to pay the arrested women’s cash bond, records show.
On Feb. 14, an unidentified Asian female, approximately 50, allegedly offered an agent sex in exchange for $140 at the Clovis location in the 800 block of North Prince Street. The agent then left the location, saying he would return in one hour, leaving the money with the woman.
Law officers “observed a living area with a mattress/bed on the floor and a small kitchen type area” inside the Clovis location, records show.
Court documents state officers often observed Wen’s vehicle picking women up at the Roswell airport after they flew in from California and New York. The women would then be driven to one of Wen’s parlors, where neighbors would report the women would never leave the building afterward.
When the women were arrested for prostitution, they identified themselves as Chinese citizens and listed their occupation as “laborer,” records show. On multiple occasions, Wen or Wang allegedly showed up to pay the arrested women’s cash bond.
On at least one occasion, a passerby heard a woman screaming and entered the parlor to check on her. He reported seeing three women between the ages of 30 and 50 dressed in provocative clothing.
Law officers found the massage parlors advertised on sites often used to advertise commercial sex.
Wen and Wang appeared in federal court March 27, in Las Cruces. If convicted, the two will face up to five years in federal prison according to the news release.
