Investigators say the case grew from a July 2025 tip into searches at six businesses and several homes.
ALBUQUERQUE, NM — Three family members have been indicted on felony charges tied to an alleged sex trafficking operation run through six Albuquerque massage parlors, prosecutors said after a months-long investigation led by the New Mexico Organized Crime Commission.
The case centers on Yufang Bao, 58, who prosecutors described as the alleged ringleader, along with her husband, John Tunney, 72, and her son, Guanxiang Wang, 25. The charges include counts related to human trafficking, prostitution and racketeering. Officials said Bao was ordered into custody after a judge granted detention late Thursday. Tunney and Wang had also been indicted, though prosecutors said they were not in custody when the case was announced.
The investigation began in July 2025 after officials received an anonymous tip about suspicious activity at a massage parlor at 1515 Eubank NE, according to court records described by prosecutors. Agents with the Organized Crime Commission watched the business and reported activity they believed was consistent with commercial sexual activity, including unusual business hours and a pattern of male customers. Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman, who chairs the commission, said the investigation points to a coordinated operation, not an isolated offense. “Sex trafficking will not be tolerated in New Mexico,” Bregman said.
Investigators said undercover agents later entered the business and saw workers dressed in lingerie who attempted inappropriate contact. When one agent left, he was given a business card for another massage parlor at 2828 Carlisle NE, according to court filings cited by officials. Surveillance and undercover work at that second location led agents to suspect it also was being used as a front for prostitution. Prosecutors said investigators then linked six massage parlors and several homes in the Albuquerque area to Bao or Tunney. Search warrants at the businesses uncovered condoms, lingerie, lubricants and sex toys, according to prosecutors.
Officials said the women connected to the case were believed to be Asian migrants, many of them Chinese, who were brought to Albuquerque with promises of legitimate work. One woman told investigators she expected to work as a cleaner, then learned she would be expected to perform sex acts. Another woman told agents she believed she had been hired as a masseuse, but was forced to perform sexual acts and was beaten, restrained and struck when she refused, according to court records described by prosecutors. Investigators said some workers lived full time inside the massage businesses and had food, hygiene items and other supplies delivered to them.
The case expanded beyond the parlors when agents searched properties tied to the defendants. At Bao’s home in the 9000 block of Lorelei Lane in northeast Albuquerque, investigators found about $90,000 in cash buried in the backyard and roughly 1,700 condoms hidden in a storage shed, prosecutors said. Officials also reported finding financial records they said connected the family to operations at multiple massage parlors, along with a money-counting machine. The Organized Crime Commission estimated that as many as 20 victims may be connected to the case, though prosecutors have not released a final number.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said the case shows the role state officials intended for the Organized Crime Commission, which was created to target complex criminal networks. “New Mexico has zero tolerance for those who exploit the vulnerable,” Lujan Grisham said. She said dismantling operations like the one alleged in Albuquerque is part of a wider public safety strategy and said the state stands with the victims. Bregman said the case should send a message to people who traffic human beings for sex. He called the alleged conduct “disgusting” and said anyone proven to be part of the ring should face serious prison time.
The indictments were returned by a grand jury earlier this month. Prosecutors said Bao faces 18 felony charges related to sex trafficking and prostitution. Court records described by officials accuse the defendants of using the businesses as part of an illicit enterprise designed to make money from women forced into commercial sex. A pretrial detention motion for Bao said the alleged conduct was not a crime of desperation, but a series of acts carried out to exploit women. The case remains in the early court stage, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Defense responses were limited after the charges became public. Graham Dumas, an attorney listed for Wang, said investigators had not yet turned over evidence, witness information or other discovery needed to respond fully to the allegations. He said the lack of records made it difficult to address prosecutors’ claims about his client’s role. Lawyers listed for Bao and Tunney did not immediately respond to requests for comment reported by local outlets. Prosecutors said the investigation involved multiple agencies, including New Mexico State Police and the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office.
The businesses named in the investigation were spread across Albuquerque, and officials said agents saw signs that workers rarely left some locations. Investigators reported that employees had personal items inside the parlors, including food and hygiene products, which helped lead agents to believe the workers were living there. Prosecutors said the evidence found during searches supported allegations that all six massage parlors were connected to prostitution activity. Officials have not publicly identified every victim, and they have not said whether more arrests or charges are expected.
The case now moves through Bernalillo County court as prosecutors pursue the indictments and investigators continue reviewing evidence from the searches. Bao remained in custody after the judge’s order, while Tunney and Wang’s custody status was listed as unresolved when officials announced the case. The next public filings are expected to clarify court dates, defense appearances and any further detention requests.
Author note: Last updated April 27, 2026.