Two Chinese nationals have been sentenced to two years in federal prison for operating illicit massage parlors where employees engaged in prostitution in southern Illinois and Indiana.
Cao Yalong, 27, of Schaumburg, Illinois, and Jianhong Hu Allbright, 58, of Shoals, Indiana, were sentenced in Benton, Illinois, this month, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois announced on Oct. 30.
U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft for the Southern District of Illinois said the case “has protected victims who would otherwise have remained trapped in these operations.”
Prosecutors indicted Cao and Allbright in July 2025. According to the attorney’s office, they later pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States and one count of money laundering for their roles in the operation, which ran from March 2022 to June 2024.
During the more than two-year period, the pair received more than $25,000 through their illicit businesses, which operated in Centralia, Harrisburg, Mount Vernon and Vandalia, in Illinois, and Corydon, Indiana, according to court documents.
Prosecutors said the illicit massage parlors operated under names including Oriental Home Spa & Massage, Sunflower Spa, and Oasis Massage Spa.
Allbright managed the day-to-day operations of the illicit massage parlors, including arranging transportation and providing supplies for female employees involved in commercial sex acts, according to prosecutors.
Cao recruited employees and collected proceeds from the prostitution. Both admitted they had posted online advertisements for their businesses.
“Human trafficking is one of the most challenging crimes to investigate and prosecute, making these sentences a significant victory,” Illinois State Police director Brendan F. Kelly said in a statement on Oct. 30.
While executing search warrants at the parlors in June 2024, law enforcement officials recovered 11 women believed to be engaging in commercial sex acts, according to the case’s criminal complaint.
Homeland Security Investigations Chicago special agent in charge Matthew Scarpino said that people “who profit from the exploitation of vulnerable people cannot hide behind the facade of a legitimate business,” according to an Oct. 30 statement.
“No victim should be treated as a commodity, and no criminal enterprise should have the ability to operate with impunity.”
According to court documents, Cao and Allbright’s legal representation has been terminated.
In recent years, several other cases involving illicit massage parlors operated by Chinese nationals have come to light.
In September, a Chinese national surnamed Jin was sentenced to 40 months to 20 years in prison in Michigan. He was accused of running two illicit parlors in metro Detroit where numerous Chinese and Korean women were identified as victims of a trafficking ring.
In March, a district judge in New York sentenced a Chinese national surnamed Xie to 16 months in prison. Xie, who did not have lawful status in the United States, ran a prostitution business out of massage parlors from July 2023 to August 2025.
In January, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania announced a nine-count indictment against four Chinese nationals. They were indicted on charges of conspiracy, human trafficking, immigration violations, and money laundering.
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