Man Arrested in Somerville Allegedly Ran Prostitution Joints in Revere and Wellesley

Homeland Security Investigations special agents arrested Joseph Girouard, 55, of Revere, in Somerville Thursday on charges of human trafficking for sexual servitude and keeping a house of ill fame, according to an announcement from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Another man, Zhen Lai, 37, of Quincy, was arrested in Quincy on the same charges.

According to a statement from Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, Girouard and Lai have been accused of running "two massage parlors that were thinly veiled fronts for prostitution."

The two parlors were Sun Spa, also known as Sun Studio, in Wellesley, and Bodywork in Revere.

Authorities allege that clients would receive sexual services from masseuses employed by Lai and Girouard, and that they would pay for these services in cash that was characterized as "tips."

The arrests were the result of an investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, Massachusetts State Police, the attorney general's office and the Wellesley Police Department, the announcement says.