YOUNGSTOWN — A yearlong investigation by the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force has led to the indictment of three women who allegedly operated illicit massage parlors in Beaver and Springfield townships.

The indictments, handed up Thursday by a Mahoning County grand jury name Aixin Cheng, 51, of Virginia; Jinzhi Gong, 50, of Illinois and Main Street in Poland; and Man Ryung Yeo, 54, of Whitestone, New York, as having been indicted on multiple charges.

Cheng is indicted on the most with 10 charges — felony engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, conspiracy, three counts of promoting prostitution, three counts of money laundering and single counts of possessing criminal tools and misdemeanor soliciting prostitution. If convicted on the felonies, she could get about 30 years in prison.

Yeo, 54, is indicted on six charges — engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, conspiracy, money laundering, two counts of misdemeanor soliciting prostitution and one count of possessing criminal tools. If convicted of the felonies, Yeo could get about 20 years in prison.

Gong is indicted on five charges — engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, promoting prostitution, possessing criminal tools, practicing medicine without a license and misdemeanor soliciting. If convicted of the felonies, Gong could get more than 10 years in prison.

The charges for all three women include lots of specifications of forfeiture of property seized during the investigation.

None of the three women appear to be locked up in the Mahoning County jail.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Mahoning County Sheriff Jerry Greene announced the indictments in a Friday press release. The task force’s investigation connected the three defendants to massage parlors in Beaver and Springfield townships, where sexual services were offered in exchange for money, the news release states.

Detectives executed seven search warrants at the parlors and at hotel rooms rented by the trio, establishing that the women funneled large amounts of cash through various

bank accounts, the release states.

The task force is organized under Yost’s Ohio Organized Crime Inves-tigations Commission and is led by the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office.

According to court records, Cheng, 53, has an address in Fairfax, Va., and was arraigned on felony promoting prostitution and possessing criminal tools Aug. 8 in Mahoning County Area Court in Canfield. She had a preliminary hearing Aug. 23, and her case was bound over to Mahoning County Common Pleas Court. Bond was set at $200,000, and she was required to be electronically monitored. She was allowed to travel to Virginia on alternating weekends, according to court records.

She also has an address in Liberty. Her charges resulted from a human trafficking operation carried out at 9215 Market St., Unit 7, in Beaver Township, according to Beaver Township police. The business was called the Healthy Massage. Beaver Township police Chief Eric Dattilo said Cheng’s arrest was part of an ongoing investigation into soliciting-prostitution offenses.

The task force includes representatives from the Austintown Police Department, Youngstown Police Department, Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Ohio Investigative Unit, East Palestine Police Department, Adult Parole Authority, Salem Police Department and Columbiana County Sheriff’s Office.

Assisting with the investigation were the Beaver Township Police Department, Springfield Township Police Department, Poland Village Police Department, Mahoning County Prosecutor’s Office and Ohio Department of Public Safety.