Police Say Woman at Orange County Spa Offered Sexual Favors to Undercover Cop

An undercover investigation has led to one arrest at a spa in Orange County, as a police chief warns other local businesses that may be running illicit operations.

A press release says that one undercover police officer was offered sexual conduct in return for a fee by an employee of the spa. This could lead to further scrutiny of other area businesses that are suspected of offering a little more than just your regular massage.

Investigation 

The New Windsor Police Department said in a press release that they received a complaint that prostitution was being conducted at the A&A Spa on Windsor Highway. Police say they performed a criminal investigation using an undercover officer at the business. It was there that the undercover officer was offered sexual favors from the 56-year-old employee from Flushing.

Police say the woman was arrested and charged with prostitution.

Decriminalization and Legalization? 

Several bills through the years have pushed to legalize prostitution in the state of New York, though there is some debate on how to go about it. The Guardian reports that The Stop Violence in the Sex Trades Act wants to fully legalize the “consensual” sex trade. A more "cautious" approach to the issue has been brought up by others, such as sex trafficking survivors and prosecutors.

In 2021, the Manhattan district attorney’s office announced that it would no longer prosecute prostitution and unlicensed massage, making Manhattan one of several major areas to do so. Proponents of the measure argue that this will help protect sex workers from violence and offer help instead of jail time to those on the streets. The prosecution against pimps, traffickers, and those looking to pay for sex still continues in the city, according to the New York Times. 

Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, who has sponsored past bills, says that "trying to stop sex work between consenting adults should not be the business of the criminal justice system. It has not worked for a couple of thousand years.".