Massage therapists sue sheriff’s office over money seizure

Two people who pleaded guilty in June to giving massages without a license have filed a lawsuit against the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, claiming police wrongfully seized more than $240,000 during their criminal investigation.

Haibin Yu and Baozhu Wu, both of Vancouver, filed the lawsuit on June 17. They allege that the sheriff’s office unlawfully seized $243,347 during multiple searches in March at Rose Massage in Hazel Dell, the defendants’ residence and a safety deposit box at Bank of America in Vancouver.

They argue that the money was not the proceeds of criminal activity or from a criminal conviction or money laundering; therefore, it is not subject to forfeiture under state law, according to the lawsuit filed in Clark County Superior Court.

Wu, 45, was arrested March 19 after detectives served a search warrant at the business, 8411 N.E. Highway 99 #C. She was previously arrested in June 2014 on the same allegations. Yu, 49, who detectives said appears to control the business, was arrested on suspicion of allowing people to give massages without a license. He was also previously arrested in June 2014 on similar allegations, according to Columbian archives.

Two other people were arrested during the raids at the business.

Wu and Yu each pleaded guilty to one count of practicing health care profession-massage practice without a license on June 4. All other charges were dismissed with prejudice, which means the charges could not be filed again, according to the lawsuit.

The two seek the return of the seized money and costs of the suit, which includes attorneys’ fees.

Clark County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Fred Neiman declined to comment on the lawsuit.

Efforts to reach Wu and Yu’s attorneys, Therese Lavallee and Bob Vukanovich, were unsuccessful Wednesday.