Estimated read time: minutes. Dongshun Zhang, 30, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail Wednesday and charged Friday in 3rd District Court with engaging in a pattern of unlawful activity, a second-degree felony; plus five counts of exploiting prostitution and nine counts of forgery, third-degree felonies. The investigation began in June when a person receiving a massage at a South Jordan massage parlor heard what sounded like sexual activity happening in an adjacent room and reported it to police, according to charging documents.
The charges do not list the address of the business. South Jordan police launched an investigation "which included surveillance, GPS monitoring, and an undercover operation," the charges state. While serving the warrant, Zhang drove up to the business. He claimed his girlfriend worked at the massage parlor and that "he would deliver snacks and food to that massage parlor and other parlors," according to the charges.
Police searched his car and reported finding seven cellphones in the center console. That's when the Utah Attorney General's Office was contacted for assistance in the investigation. Multiple phones contained text message conversations with what appear to be commercial sex customers. These devices would send a menu of commercial sex services," a police affidavit states. Charging documents further note that "one of the phones seized from Zhang Investigators also reported finding ads on the phones that promoted women available for sex.
Police said they were able to identify five clients who admitted to paying for sex acts. Wednesday, officers served a search warrant on Zhang's Salt Lake apartment, seizing several more cellphones and laptops. Based on the evidence collected, investigators believe "Zhang was posting commercial sex advertisements and communicating with customers in order to facilitate the commercial sex transactions," the affidavit alleges.
Investigators say Zhang is in the United States on an expired Visa. Prosecutors have requested that he be held in the Salt Lake County Jail without the possibility of posting bail, noting that he "has significant connections to foreign jurisdictions and financial means to flee the jurisdiction. After agents executed a search warrant in January and seized cellphones and cash from Zhang , he fled the state and agents were unable to locate him for months.
