4 women arrested in Crystal Lake prostitution sting

The Crystal Lake Police Department, working with sheriff's departments from Kane and McHenry counties and agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement Wednesday, arrested four Crystal Lake women and shut down three city businesses officials said were fronts for prostitution.

Sun Guifen, 49, and Li Huang, 43, were each arrested at Marigold's Massage in the 0-99 block of Crystal Lake Drive Plaza. Chom Peloquin, 56, was arrested at Aleda Massage in the 1500 block of Carlemont Drive, and Lijuan Pan, 48, was arrested at Blue Sky Spa in the 600 block of North Route 31. All were charged with prostitution and with violating the Illinois massage licensing act, police said.

Authorities were trying to determine whether the women were victims of sex trafficking, Crystal Lake Police Cmdr. Dan Dziewior said. Other charges and arrests are expected.

Police launched an undercover operation several months ago after residents complained of a mostly male clientele and the frequency of visits, Dziewior said.

The investigation culminated with the arrests after undercover officers, posing as clients Wednesday, paid $50 for half-hour $45 massages. The women started engaging in sexual acts with them shortly thereafter, Dziewior said.

“There's not a whole lot of conversation that occurs with someone who doesn't speak English, so there was no conversation or predetermined conversation of, 'This is what I will do and this is what I expect payment wise,' ” Dziewior said. “They were stopped immediately and placed under arrest.”

Bail information was not immediately available for the women.