Four members of a single California family have been sentenced to prison for operating illegal commercial sex businesses out of Ventura County massage parlors and funneling the profits through banks, insurance policies, and property deals.
Her brother, Xiangdong Ma, was sentenced to 10 years. Her sister, Li Ma, received five years and four months, while Li’s husband, Ming Ma, got four years and four months.
A jury had already convicted all four on multiple felony counts tied to the scheme, including pimping and several money-laundering charges. Xiangwei Ma was additionally convicted of mortgage fraud.
“Behind the doors of seemingly legitimate massage businesses in Ventura County was a criminal enterprise that exploited vulnerable women and generated enormous profits,” said Senior Deputy District Attorney Rikole Kelly. “These convictions send a powerful message: our communities will not be a marketplace for commercial sex, and those who profit from exploiting others will be held accountable.”
Jaime Calderon—husband to Li Ma and a fifth defendant in the case—pleaded guilty to money laundering on Aug. 11, 2023, and was sentenced to time in Ventura County Jail.
Women from China Recruited for Commercial Sex
Authorities say the group recruited and exploited women from China for commercial sex.
Investigations began in 2020, after several law enforcement agencies received anonymous letters alleging prostitution and trafficking at Ventura-area massage parlors, including Miracle Massage in Ventura and A+ Massage in Port Hueneme.
Over a Decade-Long Operation
Investigators found that the four family members had worked together for more than a decade to run commercial sex operations disguised as legitimate massage businesses, generating significant illicit profits along the way.
According to prosecutors, the business model was deliberately built to keep running even if individual arrests were made.
“Their illicit massage businesses were structured to survive even after law enforcement made arrests for pimping and prostitution,” District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said.
Xiangwei Ma had previously pleaded guilty to attempted pandering in Los Angeles County and served 18 months in prison for it. While she was locked up, prosecutors say, the rest of the family kept the massage businesses running without her.
After her release, she went back to directing the operation—but took care to stay off the books, avoiding any formal listing as an owner or manager, and using other people as “straw” owners to mask her role in both the businesses and related property holdings.
One example cited by prosecutors involved a house on Crowne Oak Lane in Simi Valley, California. Investigators found that Xiangwei Ma gave conflicting accounts of her employment and income tied to the property before arranging a short sale. Calderon, her brother-in-law, ended up listed as the buyer. Even though the terms of sale required her to move out, she simply kept living there, according to the investigation.
Over $1.25 Million in Assets Forfeited
The authorities also discovered the family’s efforts to hide and move the resulting cash through banks, life insurance policies, casinos, and real estate deals.
Nasarenko said that a sophisticated money-laundering investigation enabled authorities to seize assets linked to the operation and permanently shut down the businesses.
The convictions and related admissions gave prosecutors grounds to seize more than $1.25 million in cash, bank funds and life insurance cash value tied to the operation, the DA’s office said.
Han Bing contributed to this report.
