AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Attorney General's Office is suing a northwest Austin business over allegations of prostitution happening inside.
Essence Massage is on Pond Springs Road. The “nuisance abatement” lawsuit calls on Williamson County to shut down the business.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said the lawsuit was filed after an investigation conducted by the Human Trafficking Criminal Investigations Unit, which found evidence of illicit sexual activity at the business.
An estimated 9,000 illicit massage businesses operate throughout the country, with an estimated 1,000 in Texas, according to the attorney general’s office. These businesses sell commercial sex under the guise of legitimate massage services and many of the women employed at the establishments are victims of human trafficking.
The lawsuit says illicit massage businesses are often part of larger organized crime networks.
“Traffickers use intricate networks of legitimate and illegitimate businesses and shell corporations to launder money, obscure their identities and avoid law enforcement,” it says.
Victims often themselves appear as the owner or manager of the business, which can make it difficult for law enforcement to distinguish between victims and perpetrators, according to the lawsuit. Traffickers also cycle victims between businesses and across state lines, sometimes as often as every two to six weeks, further fostering dependence on traffickers.
“The OAG’s Human Trafficking Division is committed to eradicating these illegal businesses and sending the message that they will not be tolerated in our communities,” a release from Paxton’s office said on Wednesday.