Northwest Austin Massage Parlor Forced to Close for Suspected Human Trafficking
The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) has issued a six-month emergency closure order effective Dec. 2, 2024, for a massage establishment in Austin for suspected human trafficking.
Bang Kiet Tran, d/b/a JT Spa located at 11416 N. Ranch Road 620, Suite I, in Austin was ordered to stop operating this massage business and is prohibited from operating a different massage establishment at this location for six months.
In late October, TDLR received a complaint from a person who’d briefly visited JT Spa. The person left the establishment when an employee offered sexual services while she was providing the massage. The complainant provided information they’d found online on an illicit massage website that specifically mentioned the employee who’d made the offer of sexual services.
Following the complaint, TDLR inspectors and investigators conducted an on-site inspection of the establishment. The inspection found that at least two employees were living in the establishment and that at least one employee providing massages was not licensed. Inspectors also found other items that are prohibited in a massage establishment.
About Texas House Bill 3579
HB 3579, passed in the 88th Legislature Regular Session, went into effect Sept. 1, 2023. Under the law, TDLR’s executive director can issue an emergency order halting the operation of any massage establishment if law enforcement or TDLR believes human trafficking is occurring at the establishment.
This order is the 16th emergency order issued by TDLR since the law went into effect.
Anyone who suspects human trafficking is occurring can contact the National Hotline for Human Trafficking at 1-888-373-7888 or text HELP or INFO to BeFree (233733). If the situation is an emergency or you believe someone is in immediate danger, call 911 and alert the authorities.
You can also file a complaint on a TDLR-regulated business that you suspect may be participating in human trafficking.
