State regulators have imposed a $3,000 fine against an Iowa City man accused of running a multimillion-dollar ring of unlicensed massage parlors in which workers were required to have sex with customers.
The Iowa Board of Massage Therapy has fined Zhenshi Liu of Iowa City $2,000 for practicing massage therapy without a license on at least two occasions, plus $1,000 for employing an individual not licensed to practice massage therapy.
The board says it received a complaint from the Iowa City Police Department alleging Liu, 60, and his wife, Junping Ren, 56, were operating two illicit massage businesses — the Paradise Spa at 1901 Broadway St., and 805 S. 1st Ave. — where they employed numerous unlicensed female workers who were “required to provide sex acts” for clients…