Request To Drop Bail Denied For Wenatchee Prostitution Suspect

A suspect accused of running a prostitution ring out of a Wenatchee massage parlor will remain in jail on a $500,000 bond. 

The attorney for 61-year-old Linhui Yan asked this week for bail to be dropped and Yan to be released on his own recognizance. 

Seattle-based attorney Gregory Scott Hoover noted Yan is a U.S. citizen, had his passport revoked in November of last year, and was not a flight risk. 

Hoover said that Yan had been in China and went to the U.S. Consulate to request being allowed to enter the U.S. to face charges in this case. 

Hoover said Yan was given a temporary passport to return to the U.S. and came to Tacoma, where he was arrested and returned to Chelan County. 

At this week's hearing, prosecutors expressed concern with the validity of the defense argument, given the language barrier and the lack of a signature on a U.S. Consulate letter produced by Hoover. 

Superior Court Judge Kristin Ferrera turned down the proposal for release without bail out of concern Yan would be a flight risk. She also denied a request for electronic home monitoring of Yan. 

Defense attorney Hoover noted he intended to file a motion for a change of venue. 

Yan was arrested on March 20, more than a year after prostitution charges were brought against him.  

Deputies could not locate him despite a coordinated attempt with multiple law enforcement agencies and assumed he was back home in China.  

Yan's wife, 45-year-old Yan Yang is thought to still be out of the country. She is charged with the same crimes as Yan.  

The charges were initially brought in February of 2023 after a yearlong investigation by the Columbia River Drug Task Force into Lin Massage in the 400 block of North Mission Street and Angel Spa in the 300 block of North Chelan Street.  

Yan is charged with Leading Organized Crime, Money Laundering, and Promoting Prostitution in the Second Degree. 

The Washington state Department of Health in January announced the indefinite suspension of the massage therapist license for Yan, saying he failed to respond to its inquiry over felony charges against him.