EAST LONGMEADOW – Daniel Burack, a real estate developer and member of the Board of Public Works, has remained mum after three people were arrested on Dec. 13 in connection with a human trafficking operation connected to Feng Health Center. The massage business was located at Burack’s commercial property at 611 N. Main St.

Burack did not respond to multiple requests for comment by Reminder Publications.

Interim Building Commissioner Mark Hebert sent Burack a notice of violation on Dec. 14 stating an inspection on Dec. 13 revealed the property had been used as a residential dwelling.

“Immediately cease and desist the illegal and unauthorized change of use forthwith or we will be forced to take legal action,” it reads. “Failure to comply with the above order may result in fines of up to $100 per day per violation. Each day shall constitute a separate violation and we may also seek a criminal complaint through court proceedings.”

Feng Ling Liu, 50, and her husband Jian Song, 48, both of Sunderland as well as her daughter, Ting Ting Yin, 26, of New Hyde Park, NY, were all arrested for allegedly trafficking women from New York to the Feng Health Center as well as locations in Hadley and Framingham for the purpose of having them perform sexual acts for profit.

The arrests were part of an extensive sting performed by local and state law enforcement in Massachusetts and New York. Federal agencies also closed down two separate trafficking operations that were being investigated collaboratively by the Attorney General’s (AG) office, the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office, and the Northampton Police Department with assistance from other departments.

A total of four people were arrested and 10 trafficking victims were identified in connection with illegal activities at five different businesses.

A notice dated Dec. 13 and signed by East Longmeadow Health Director Aimee Petrosky that was attached to the Feng Health Center door stated the structure was unsafe for human use and unlawful for any person to occupy the building between 5 p.m. and 9 a.m.

Petrosky told Reminder Publications 611 N. Main St. has been condemned and labeled unfit for human habitation.  

“They are not zoned for residential purposes, so there needs to be no evidence of anyone living there,” she explained. “My involvement has nothing to do with the human trafficking. My citation was just strictly based on the housing code – that building is not fit for people to be living in. I was called in and asked to do an inspection of the facility with the housing code in mind. So, that’s how it started.”

She added she observed evidence of personal items such as toothbrushes, medication, and clothing that wouldn’t normally be in a business during her initial investigation. The Police Department called her to request an inspection.

This is the second recent instance a massage business was closed down at the location due to allegations of human trafficking – Korean Massage, which closed in 2013, was the first. In 2012, residents at Town Meeting voted to require licensed massage businesses to obtain a special permit. The Planning Board denied the application of Gye-Hwa Shin, a resident of Flushing, NY, and owner of Korean Massage.

Korean Massage was the subject to several police actions before its closure. While information provided by the Attorney General’s office did not establish any connection between Korean Massage and Feng Health Center, both operations were similar in nature.

The East Longmeadow Police Department was first notified of a potential problem at Korean Massage in October 2009 when former State Police Detective Lieutenant and current Federal Marshal John Gibbons contacted them and a coordinated investigation showed that several parlors in the Pioneer Valley were owned by the same entity, operating out of Queens, NY.

A second investigation commenced in December 2010 and police determined that two to three persons were living at 611 N. Main St.

An undercover operation followed and police found sexual acts were being offered for money, resulting in arrests in February 2011. As with previous investigations, all employees present were illegal and unlicensed.

The employee arrested for prostitution was found guilty of working without a license, but not guilty of the greater offense.

A December 2011 investigation of Korean Massage yielded similar results.

On Dec. 20, the Planning Board scheduled a revocation hearing for its next meeting, following the procedure laid out in the town's bylaws, according to Planning Director Robyn Macdonald.

Macdonald previously stated the Planning Board was within its rights to terminate the special permit due to the violation and added a special permit for any other massage business at the address could be denied “as long as the decision is not arbitrary or capricious.”

Reminder Publications Assistant Managing Editor Chris Maza contributed to this report.