She will be sentenced on June 2nd.
Rockville, Md (KM) A Germantown woman pleaded guilty Monday in Montgomery County Circuit Court to operating a house of prostitution. As part of the sentencing, prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed that Emily Zhang Lawrence, 47, would receive a one-year suspended sentence, and be placed on unsupervised probation when she’s sentenced on June 2nd.. She will also forfeit her business license and agree not to open or operate a massage business or spa in the State of Maryland.
In February, 2019, Montgomery County Police began a five-month investigation into Lawrence after receiving a tip that her business, Rose’s Spa in Rockville, was being operated as a house of prostitution. Authorities they learned that Lawrence owned an apartment which she used as a place to harbor the women who worked for the spa. She would pick up the women in her maroon Honda Odyssey minivan from her apartment and take to the spa.
Police, in their investigation, interviewed the women who said they answered advertisements for masseuses and were trained by Lawrence when they arrived in Maryland.
Also, detectives interviewed several men leaving the business who admitted paying for illicit sex acts while inside the business. They identified Lawrence as the owner and manager of Rose’s Spa, and who controlled and received all payments for service.
During their investigation, authorities confiscated $427,477 which Lawrence admitted was her only source of income. As part of her plea deal, she will forfeit a total of $377,477 to the Montgomery County Police.
The Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office served as special prosecutor in this case due to a conflict of interest in the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office. A former contract employee who worked part time for the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office was customer of Rose’s Spa, and was interviewed by police, according to media reports at the time.
The State was represented in the case by Chief Counsel Joyce King and Assistant State’s Attorney Lindsey Carpenter, both with the Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office.
By Kevin McManus