Two Brooklyn women arrested in Sayville prostitution bust

Suffolk County police said a house on Henry Street in Sayville drew detectives after repeated reports of suspicious activity, and the case ended with two Brooklyn women charged in what investigators described as a prostitution operation operating in a neighborhood setting.

The search warrant was executed at 10:24 a.m. on April 22 at 47 Henry St., police said. Detectives with the Human Trafficking Investigation Unit were assisted by officers from the Fifth Precinct Crime Unit, Fifth Precinct Anti-Crime and the Fifth Precinct Community Support Unit. Inside the home, investigators said they recovered massage tables, cash and electronic devices they believed were tied to the operation.

Police identified the women as Xuehua Chao, 55, and Yamei Qiu, 41, both of Brooklyn. Investigators said Chao used the alias Mary and Qiu used the alias Flame while advertising commercial sex services on internet sites. Both women were issued Desk Appearance Tickets and are due to be arraigned later, while the investigation remains ongoing.

For Sayville residents, the arrest lands on a residential street rather than in a hotel corridor or a commercial district, which is part of why the case stood out. A nearby business owner said she had noticed unusual foot traffic in the area, a reminder that trafficking-related activity can surface in plain sight through patterns neighbors and business owners notice before police move in.

The Henry Street arrest also comes as Suffolk County continues to tighten its response to trafficking. Just a week earlier, Michael Johnson, also known as Wise, was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison for sex trafficking conspiracy, sex trafficking and interstate prostitution tied to the Sayville Motor Lodge near Sunrise Highway. Federal prosecutors said Johnson and co-conspirators ran a sex trafficking business out of the motel, which was shut down in 2022 and later sold.

County lawmakers have also moved to make hotel and motel properties less attractive to traffickers. In December, the Suffolk County Legislature unanimously passed a law requiring more record-keeping, limiting hourly room rates to a minimum six-hour stay and mandating anti-trafficking training for hotel and motel owners and employees. County Executive Ed Romaine signed the measure in February, adding another enforcement tool as police continue to investigate how these operations take root in suburban communities.