Missoula massage parlor owner convicted of sex trafficking - The Missoulian

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After a weeklong trial, a Missoula massage parlor owner was found guilty Tuesday of sex and labor trafficking in Missoula County District Court.


Over the course of the trial, prosecutors Andrea Haney and Katrina Thorness laid out evidence and testimony that Yanbin Bao had been enticing Chinese immigrant women to work at Soul Massage off Highway 93 in Missoula with the intention they do sex work for clients. One such woman testified in court as to Bao’s efforts to get her to perform sex work and her sexual assault at the hands of one of Bao’s friends, who was a man she relied on to drive her to do basic errands.


“[The survivor] found herself subject to prostitution in the worst possible way: by force,” Haney said.



Yanbin Bao, right, reacts to a guilty verdict during a trial at the Missoula County Courthouse on Tuesday. Bao was found guilty on all counts.

BEN ALLAN SMITH,Missoulian


The prosecution also showed photos and interviewed detectives to establish that the massage parlor contained things like lingerie, condoms and baby wipes.

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According to the survivor’s testimony, she came to Missoula because Bao promised her a cheap, dog-friendly place to stay and a job as a massage therapist. But things turned quickly sour when Bao started telling her to perform sex acts for tips, culminating in her calling the police when Bao and her husband Richard Bushey tried to force their way into the massage parlor. She also testified that two other women were trafficked to Soul Massage, which resulted in two counts of sex trafficking in this case.


Bao’s defense team hinged most of their arguments on introducing doubt into the meaning of items found on the scene, such as pointing out that even a legitimate massage parlor may have reason to use baby wipes for cleaning. They also pointed out inconsistencies in the survivor’s testimony and aimed to frame the incident that led to Bao’s arrest as a labor dispute, with the survivor trying to stay at a job and living situation that Bao wanted her to leave. They argued that it couldn’t be proven that Bao was aware of the sex work happening on the premises, since she wasn’t even in Missoula during most of the timeframe at issue. Additionally, they said the sex trafficking of two of the three survivors couldn’t be proven, since the court didn’t have testimony from them.


But the prosecution presented evidence of texts to and from Bao where she specifically discusses and instructs sex acts be performed by her workers. The state also called expert witness Aaron Grass, a detective from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office in California, who testified about his experience with illegal massage brothels. Without knowing anything about the details of the case, Grass testified that things found at Soul Massage, like condoms and mattresses on the floor, were typical of illegal massage brothels.



Aaron Grass, a detective with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, offers expert testimony on human trafficking during a jury trial for Yanbin Bao at the Missoula County Courthouse on Thursday.

BEN ALLAN SMITH, Missoulian


The jury took about three hours to return a unanimous guilty verdict on four counts of sex trafficking and one count of labor trafficking.


Bushey has also been charged with sex and labor trafficking for the same incidents. His trial is set for August.


Bao's sentencing is set for May 27 at 1:30 p.m. According to Haney, the case occupies a unique legal area because Montana’s laws around human trafficking were being changed around the same time the crimes were being committed, so Bao will be sentenced under laws that are no longer on the books. Haney said the prosecution plans to present further evidence at sentencing.



Andy Tallman is the criminal justice reporter for the Missoulian.

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