Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's office asked the courts in Williamson County to close a massage parlor where his office said illegal sex acts occurred.
The attorney general's office began investigating Essence Massage in August after discovering reviews on websites that said people had received sexual services for money at the parlor, the lawsuit said. Investigators said they found numerous reviews with those claims from through January of this year.
Members of the investigating unit set up surveillance on various dates at the parlor, the lawsuit said, and only saw men enter the building located at Pond Springs Road. Investigators then interviewed four men who were seen entering the parlor in November. Three of them admitted to receiving sexual services for leaving a large tip, according to the lawsuit. A nuisance abatement lawsuit does not prove that a property owner is guilty, only that "the property owner allowedthe illegal activity to occur on the property or failed to make reasonable attempts to stop it," according to the attorney general's office.
The attorney general's office asked the court, which is overseen by Judge Ryan Larson, to have the landlords, property owners and the owner of Essence Massage appear before the court for a hearing, in addition to stopping the business from using the property for illegal activities.
After that hearing, if the attorney general's office wins the case, Paxton's office is asking the court to shut down the establishment. The lawsuit was filed against the landlords of the property and the business owner. More: Sex trafficking is behind the lucrative illicit massage business. Why police can't stop it. The American-Statesman reached out to Essence Massage parlor about the lawsuit and was told the owner was "on vacation" and to reach out when they return.
