By Madina Toure
A Flushing husband and wife who own two sister hotels in Flushing and Brooklyn were arrested and charged with promoting prostitution and falsifying records in the hotels, according to the Brooklyn district attorney.
The NYPD and the FBI raided the New Farrington Hotel at 33-53 Farrington St. in Flushing and the Sunny 39 Hotel at 517 39th St. in Sunset Park Oct. 15. A store employee in the area of the New Farrington said he saw eight to 10 FBI agents standing in front of the hotel.
Attempts to reach the two hotels were unsuccessful.
The defendants have been identified as Flushing residents Cui Yu Li, 50 (also known as Lucy Li), and Xiao Ming Lu, 53, according to Brooklyn DA Ken Thompson. Li is the principal owner of Sunny 39 and Lu is the principal owner of New Farrington.
Lu was charged with promoting prostitution, permitting prostitution and falsifying business records. He faces up to a year in jail if convicted. Li was charged with permitting prostitution and criminal nuisance and faces up to three months in jail.
Amy Vincent, 43, also known as Qing Li, of Brooklyn, who was the desk manager at Sunny 39, faces the same charges as Lu.
During raids on the hotels, Li was found in possession of guest receipts showing numerous short-stay rentals at Sunny 39 and to have allegedly maintained premises where unlawful prostitution openly occurred, according to Thompson.
Nuisance abatement closure orders were served on both hotels for them to be shut down, Thompson said.
Lu is also alleged to have directed patrons to rooms occupied by prostitutes, the DA said.
Vincent allegedly directed patrons to rooms at Sunny 39 booked by undercover officers posing as a pimp and a prostitute on at least three different occasions, Thompson said.
The rooms were booked without requesting ID or a signature and on one occasion, Vincent accepted a $20 “tip” from the undercover officer, he said.
Thompson said numerous community complaints were made about Sunny 39 as well as 911 calls about prostitution. Several ads on Backp
The office of Queens District Attorney Richard Brown assisted in the investigation.
The U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigation, the U.S. Attorney in Brooklyn and the state attorney general’s office were also part of the investigation.
The city Department of Buildings, the state Labor Department and the New York State Workers Compensation Board helped as well.
“Let the message be heard loud and clear that those who would profit from, assist and aid in this—one of the most heinous crimes being inflicted upon humankind—will have to answer for their crimes in a court of law,” Brown said.
Reach reporter Madina Toure by e-mail at mtour
