STUART, Fla. - Two women say they are guilty of living off money they earned from prostitution, after accusations they assisted in running a prostitution ring out of local massage parlors in Martin County
On Tuesday, both Gaomei Yang (46, Sunrise) and Shuang Lu (40, Flushing, NY) pleaded guilty to one felony count each of deriving support from the proceeds of prostitution.
In exchange for their guilty pleas, Yang and Lu may be asked to testify against other defendants in the case.
“Their sentencings have been put off to a later date, pending their cooperation in other cases,” said Lev Evans, the Director of Economic Crimes for the 19th Judicial Circuit. “They may be called to testify against the ‘johns’ and the madams.”
As a result of Yang’s guilty plea, the State Attorney’s Office dropped other charges against her, including racketeering and money laundering.
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Lu was originally charged with crimes like racketeering, money laundering and engaging in prostitution, but all of her crimes were dropped in exchange for a guilty plea to the lesser crime of deriving benefits from the proceeds of prostitution.
According to court records, their passports were given to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office. Both women must stay in New York, and can only return to Florida for court events.
Both women are set for sentencing in July.
Contact 5 reached out to their Orlando-based attorney, Michael Brown, but did not receive a response.
Last week, Li Ping Wang Borja (49) pleaded no contest to a lesser charge of deriving support/proceeds from prostitution. In exchange, three other charges, including engaging in prostitution, money laundering, and racketeering, were dropped.