Former Henderson employee tipped massage parlors to raids in exchange for sexual favors, prosecutors say
A former Henderson city employee has been indicted in connection with tipping off massage parlors to possible raids in exchange for sexual favors for more than a year, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Michael Bass, 70, who worked as a business licensing enforcement officer, faces one count of pandering and one count of misconduct of a public officer, both felonies.
Also charged in the indictment was Zimei Patton, who prosecutors said ran a massage parlor that essentially operated as a brothel. Patton faces one count each of pandering, living from the earnings of a prostitute and bribery, all felonies.
Chief Judge David Barker set bail at $8,000 for Bass and $13,000 for Patton.
The indictment states that, between July 15, 2013, and Sept. 16, 2014, Bass and Patton induced two employees of 99 Spa to “become a prostitute and/or to continue to engage in prostitution.”
Patton managed the parlor and encouraged employees to have sex with Bass after he provided “information related to upcoming law enforcement operations or information related to upcoming City of Henderson inspections” of 99 Spa, Spa 88 and Spa Yi, according to the indictment.
Bass earned $94,269.89 in total pay and benefits as a city employee in 2013, according to Transparent Nevada.
Bass appeared in court for an indictment hearing Wednesday but was not taken into custody. Patton also is not in custody, according to the Clark County Detention Center’s online records.
Defense lawyer Bill Terry said Bass has been married for 50 years. He worked for 30 years in Chicago and 14 years in Henderson, the attorney said.
Henderson officials issued a stop work order for Spa 99, located at 4500 E. Sunset Road, on March 23, 2015. The business closed briefly, then re-opened.
“They went back in a short period of time later and found they weren’t actually complying,” said Henderson spokesman David Cherry. The business was shut down again on April 7, 2015.
Spa 99 has since reopened, but it is operating only under a cosmetology license, and the business can only offer services related to that license.
Two of their licenses — massage and reflexology — are under a stop work order. The business licensing office said Spa 99 has engaged in online advertising on a site that offers adult services, according to Cherry.
Representatives from the business are scheduled to appear before the city’s planning commission on July 27 for a conditional use permit.
Cherry said the commissioners are expected to recommend that the city deny the permit, meaning Spa 99 could no longer offer massage services at that location.
The Henderson Municipal Code used to allow a spa business to obtain an ancillary license for massage services without a conditional use permit.
Now, however, after changes were made to the code in October 2015, a spa cannot have a massage license without the conditional use permit attached to it.
“This is fairly typical of what we’ve been dealing with when it comes to spas,” Cherry said.
Spa Yi and 88 Spa are closed.
A website for Spa Yi shows women in lingerie and states, “Imagine how different your day could be when it starts or ends with a massage from a beautiful Asian woman,” and “We have the knowledge and the skill sets to help relieve you.”
Contact Natalie Bruzda at nbruzda@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3897. Find @NatalieBruzda on Twitter. Contact David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Find @randompoker on Twitter.