Bergen County Authorities Charge 27, Seize Cash in Prostitution Sweep

Bergen County authorities arrested 27 people and seized more than $27,000 in a weeklong prostitution sweep, Prosecutor John Molinelli said Monday.

Half a dozen women were working as prostitutes at a Paramus hotel, Molinelli said.

"Targeted during this investigation were numerous illegal massage parlors and in-call prostitution operations that have been operating in area hotels," Molinelli said in a statement. 

Police arrested 11 people on March 15 as part of the anti-prostitution initiative. The 11 people were either prostitutes or their drivers,  Molinelli said.

Hanna Young, 38, of Queens, N.Y., Yan Zhang, 43, of Queens, N.Y., Joann Marsaka, 24, of Bayonne, Amanda Blackwell, 23, of Emporia, Va., Sofia Matallana, 35, of Spring Valley, and Li Jie, 42, of Queens, N.Y., were charged with engaging in prostitution.

Jian Zhang, 40, of Mahattan, N.Y., Jun Li, 46, of Manhattan, N.Y., Jian Wang, 58, of Queens, N.Y., Javier Rebolledo, 36, of Suffern, N.Y., and Dwight Oquendo, 22, of Jersey City, were charged with facilitating prostitution.

The Bergen County Prosecutor's Office also targeted 12 massage parlors in Bergen County. Undercover police were asked to pay for sex at each location, Molinelli said.

Police arrested 16 more people at the parlors, located in Edgewater, Harrington Park, Garfield, Palisades Park, Ramsey, Lyndhurst and Little Ferry.

All 27 people charged were served with summonses and released on their own recognizance.