Undercover Operation Targets Sonoma County Massage Parlors

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — One arrest was made and two business were cited as a result of an undercover operation involving the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Unit, the FBI, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Sonoma County Code Enforcement.

Authorities visited two Penngrove businesses, Green Rose Therapy and Penngrove Relax Center, Thursday, Jan. 23, as part of their multi-agency effort to investigate whether human trafficking may be taking place within the massage-parlor business in the county, Sonoma County Sheriff's Sgt. Juan Valencia said in a news release.

The first visit was to Green Rose Therapy. An undercover detective went into the business at 9550 Main St. and requested a massage. Tonga Ball, 61, of Rohnert Park, was the masseuse on duty and was the only employee in the business at that time, Valencia said.

Nor were any client in the business, the sergeant said.

"Ball escorted the undercover detective, into a room," Valencia said. "Ball began to give the detective a massage and shortly thereafter, solicited the detective to perform a lewd act for money.

Additional detectives converged on cue and detained Ball, who was then interviewed by a sheriff's detective and an FBI agent.

"A detective and an FBI agent conducted an interview with Ball regarding possible human trafficking," Valencia said. "Ball said, she was there on her own free will and the business was not involved in any human trafficking operation. Ultimately, Ball was cited and released for solicitation for prostitution."

The business was also ordered to close after an agent with county code enforcement found multiple violations, Valencia said. Authorities allege in the violations that the business was a public nuisance, made commercial tenant improvements without permits, and that construction was unpermitted and substandard.

The building was deemed a dangerous, and the specific spaces cannot be occupied until the violations have been corrected, Valencia said.

The second massage parlor visited was Penngrove Relax Center, 10009 Penngrove Ave. No arrests were made at the business but it was deemed a dangerous building after multiple violations were found, the sergeant said.