Facing money laundering and sex charges, massage therapist surrenders license

An Iowa woman accused of using two illicit massage parlors to launder $2.6 million in cash has agreed to surrender her state license.

In September 2025, Iowa City police arrested Junping Ren, 56, and Zhenshi Liu, 60, the operators of two Iowa City massage parlors, the Paradise Spa, at 1901 Broadway St., and the Paradise Spa at 805 S. First Ave.

Police said the arrests stemmed from a human trafficking investigation and alleged Liu and Ren had employed numerous women who were required to work more than 12 hours a day, seven days a week, while performing sex acts for clients.

In connection with co-conspirators, prosecutors allege, Ren illegally laundered $2.6 million in massage-parlor revenue, mixing cash and check deposits to avoid transaction-reporting requirements.

Prosecutors also allege Ren and her co-conspirators also laundered the proceeds of the illegal operation through the purchase of two residential properties, in cash, for $941,342, and through the purchase of vehicles.

The couple’s son, Yang Liu, 33, is accused of assisting in laundering $1.5 million through his personal accounts. Ren was charged with felony money laundering, ongoing criminal conduct, pandering for prostitution and pimping.

On Dec. 8, 2025, Ren was criminally charged with tampering with a witness, a felony, for allegedly attempting to influence the testimony of witnesses against her in the money laundering case.

According to Johnson County prosecutors, on Oct. 4, 2025, Ren sent text messages to a victim in the case, threatening to come to his house and stating, “When the police ask you, you have to protect me… You can say you don’t know anything they ask you.”

On Dec. 7, 2025, Ren allegedly showed up at the victim’s church and asked the victim’s wife whether she knew of the victim’s testimony and involvement in her case, which prosecutors says was part of an effort to influence the victim and his relationship with his wife.

All of the criminal charges are still pending, and the defendants have pleaded not guilty. A trial is scheduled for March 3, 2026.

Last month, the Iowa Board of Massage Therapy charged Ren with unethical conduct, at which point it also agreed to settle the case by accepting Ren’s agreement to voluntarily surrender her license.

Other licensees facing sanctions from the Iowa Board of Massage Therapy include:

David Weil and Urbandale Massage – The board has scheduled a hearing for June 2, 2026, for Weil to challenge the board’s proposed civil penalties. Although the hearing notice has been made public by the board, the accompanying notice of intent to impose civil penalties, which cites the reasons for the proposed penalties, has not been published, so it’s unclear as to which regulations Weil is alleged to have violated. However, the hearing notice indicates Weil “does not and never has possessed a license to practice massage therapy.”

Laurence Walker of Davenport — The board alleges that in March 2023, it issued Walker a massage therapy license, but that he currently has in place an agreement not to practice. According to the board, Walker practiced massage therapy at the Healing Touch Massage Studio in Davenport in August 2025 when he performed massage therapy on a client despite the expiration of his license in March 2025.

The board alleges the client receiving the massage reported feeling Walker’s hand “about one inch” from her vagina, and indicated that after she moved away from Walker, he told her to “just relax,” adding, “I think you are pretty attractive and if you have an interest in doing things outside of the massage studio that I cannot do in the building because I am working, you can text me. But if you aren’t interested, then ignore what I just said, and I am a professional.”

According to the board, Walker signed an agreement not to practice in October 2025, while an investigation into the client’s complaint was pending.

Recently, the board charged Walker with wrongfully representing oneself as a licensee and with unethical conduct by having sexual contact with, or making suggestive, lewd, lascivious or improper remarks or advances to, a patient or client. At the same time, the board agreed to settle matter by issuing Walker a warning, imposing a $250 fine, and placing his license on probation for two years.