Crime
Three people were arrested after months of surveillance and undercover operations in Salem, according to police reports.
Three people were arrested after Salem police conducted a recent investigation into alleged human trafficking and prostitution at businesses offering “bodywork,” “reflexology,” and “spa” services.
Those arrested were 57-year-old Peter Leavitt of Peabody, 52-year-old Fang Liu of Peabody, and 64-year-old Barry St. Onge of Shrewsbury, Salem police said in a statement. Each faces charges of trafficking a person for sexual servitude, deriving support for prostitution, and keeping a house of prostitution.
All three were arraigned in Salem District Court this week and pleaded not guilty. Leavitt and Fang were each held on $35,000 bail, and St. Onge was held on $40,000 bail, according to court documents.
The businesses police focused on during the investigation were New Custom Body Work, located at 133 Boston St. in Salem, and Red Rose Reflexology, located at 116A Boston St. in Salem.
“We see this as much a rescue operation as it is a criminal investigation. The exploitation of victims of human trafficking will not be tolerated in the city of Salem,” Salem Police Chief Lucas Miller said in a statement.
Police began their investigations into these businesses in January, which included undercover surveillance operations. At one point, detectives observed a man and a woman exit New Custom Body Work and go to a nearby convenience store to pick up everyday essentials. The man appeared to be holding the woman by the arm, keeping her close, according to a police report.
At a later point in the investigation, police observed a white van with New York license plates pull up to New Custom Body Work. The same man was seen grabbing bags from the van and handing the driver money. The van’s plates were connected to a taxi company that operates out of Flushing, New York. During a previous human trafficking investigation, police interviewed two women who were living in a massage parlor who spoke about a van that would take daily trips from Flushing to Massachusetts. The women were supposed to be picked up from the van and brought back to New York, but the trip was called off after those involved found out that police were investigating, according to a report.
“While doing these investigations, we have learned that many of the workers within the establishment are not allowed to leave. They are given food and everyday essentials but are not allowed to leave the establishment,” a detective with the Salem Police Department wrote in a report.
Detectives became aware of Red Rose Reflexology as they investigated. They found a review written by a male customer who used the username “MajesticDragon” online. He recounted how two women were offered to him at the establishment, and he chose one of them to have sex with. He ended up paying $185 for “full sex,” he wrote in the review, according to a police report.
“Overall not a bad experience at either both girls said they would be there till end of the month,” the review read, according to police.
It is common practice for operators of these establishments to rotate women out and bring new ones in about once a month, police said.
At one point, officers interviewed a customer of Red Rose Reflexology who said that he paid $100 for a sex act there. The business was allegedly opened in early March by St. Onge, according to a report. Investigators found an interview St. Onge gave to police in 2016, where he provided extensive details about the inner workings of a prostitution ring and its connections to people in Flushing.
On April 12, a Salem police officer went undercover to Red Rose Reflexology. He was brought to a massage room and told that it would cost $150 for a “suck.” He said that he did not have that much money on him and that he simply wanted a half-hour massage. She agreed to give him one for $50. The undercover officer later reported that the woman working there “had no knowledge of how to perform an actual massage” and that “she kept trying to reach for his genitals and he kept having to say no,” according to a police report.
St. Onge was involved in the day-to-day operations of his business and knew what was happening inside, police said.
“St. Onge has a vast knowledge of how the process of trafficking these women works, and put that knowledge to work by opening Red Rose Reflexology. St. Onge has zero regard for the working conditions of these female workers along with the legal system regarding businesses,” a detective wrote in a report.
Meanwhile, police continued their investigation into New Custom Body Work. On April 13, the same officer who went undercover to Red Rose Reflexology also went undercover to New Custom Body Work. He agreed to pay $60 for a 45-minute massage. He was brought to a massage room and told to get undressed. After about 40 minutes, he was told to flip over onto his back and the woman working there asked him to pay $60 for a sex act. He said that he did not have the extra money and left, according to a police report. Police were led to believe that the women working in New Custom Body Work were also living there.
The business was registered in November 2025 to Leavitt, but Fang’s name also appears on paperwork associated with it. Both were linked to the same residential address in Peabody, according to a report.
Officers executed a search warrant of New Custom Body Work on April 17. They found three customers and three workers. The customers were interviewed and released. The workers were also interviewed, telling police that the business was run by a female “boss” who went by the name “CoCo.” This person “had a white husband,” lived close to the establishment, and would come to pick up money from it, they said, according to a report.
Police had identified Liu during their investigation, learning that she was involved with Leavitt and possibly married to him. Both Leavitt and Liu reside in an apartment that is approximately five minutes away from New Custom Body Work. Officers presented the workers with a “photo array,” and they identified Liu as “CoCo,” according to a report.
Ross Cristantiello
Ross Cristantiello, a general assignment news reporter for Boston.com since 2022, covers local politics, crime, the environment, and more.
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