(FOX 9) – Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has sent a warning letter to nine commercial landlords warning them they may be renting to massage parlors that are engaging in sex trafficking.

Warning letter

What we know:

Ellison shared an announcement about the letter in a news release on Tuesday. The letter warns the landlords, which were not named in the news release, that their tenants could be operating an illicit business.

The letter also shares some “red flags” of sex trafficking, noting that the business in question appears on a website “RUBMAPS” – a review site that officials say allows sex buyers to share their experiences.

Local perspective:

Some of the common red flags outlined by the AG that a massage parlor is engaged in sex trafficking are:

• Hours are often late, past regular business hours.
• Entrances are private and windows are covered.
• High security measures, including external cameras at entrances, screened entry with buyers needing to call or be buzzed in.
• Evidence, such as makeshift kitchens, shows that women are living on the premises.
• Cash-heavy transactions.
• Clientele is almost exclusively male.
• Illicit advertising online and sex-buyer activity on online review sites.

What you can do:

Landlords and residents who suspect a business may be engaging in prostitution can contact:

• The BCA at 1-877-996-6222 or email bca.tips@state.mn.us.
• The Attorney General’s Office via its online complaint form, or by calling the Office at (651) 296-3353 (Metro area) or (800) 657-3787 (Greater Minnesota).
• The National Human Trafficking Hotline, 1-888-373-7888.

What the letter says

Dig deeper:

The letter also informs the landlords that Minnesota law allows landlords to cancel residential leases if they learn a tenant is engaging in prostitution activities on their premises. The AG urges the landlords to check if similar provisions are available for commercial leases. It also warns of the legal ramifications of allowing sex trafficking on their property.

Ellison requested a response from landlords within ten business days of the letter.

In the news release, Ellison explains that many of the women that work out of these parlors are brought to the United States under false promises, isolated once here and coerced to perform as sex workers.

What they’re saying:

In a statement, Ellison says: “Minnesota will not tolerate vulnerable women being abused and trafficked at illicit massage businesses hiding in plain sight in our communities. I’m asking property owners to join me and do their part to help stamp out this criminal conduct.”

Big picture view:

The effort by Ellison is part of an initiative to combat sex trafficking that the attorney general’s office is collaborating on with local law enforcement, national anti-trafficking advocacy group The Network, and the Minnesota BCA’s Human Trafficking Investigators Task Force.