Press Release  Stoughton Woman Found Guilty on Prostitution Charges in Connection with Using Spas as Fronts for Illegal Activity

Boston — A Stoughton woman has been found guilty on prostitution charges in connection with two spas she owned and operated in Brockton and Norwood that she used as fronts for illegal activity, Attorney Maura Healey announced today. 

Terry Mussari, age 50, was found guilty yesterday by a Norfolk County jury, after an eight-day trial, on the charges of Deriving Support from Prostitution (2 counts), Maintaining a House of Prostitution (2 counts), Keeping a House of Ill Fame (2 counts), Minimum Wage Violation (3 counts), and Failure to Provide Suitable Paystub (3 counts). 

She will be sentenced on March 1 in Norfolk Superior Court.

In 2011, State Police assigned to the AG’s Office, in conjunction with the Boston office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), began an investigation into allegations that commercial sex for a fee was being offered at spas owned and operated by Mussari. 

The two spas were Aria Day Spa in Brockton and Spa Bellissimo in Norwood. During the course of the investigation, authorities developed evidence indicating that the two spas were offering sexual activity between masseuses employed by Mussari and their clients in exchange for cash that was characterized as “tips”.

Mussari was also found guilty of wage and hour violations at those two spas and at Sparkle Day Spa in Canton, which she also owned and operated.

The investigation revealed that Mussari required employees, whether or not licensed, to give massages to male clients expecting sexual services. In addition, Mussari failed to appropriately pay the women for the hours they worked and deducted from their paychecks at will without proper documentation. For years she operated in this manner, and during the last three months that Aria Day Spa and Spa Bellissimo were open, more than 90 percent of the massage clientele were men. 

In October 2011, State Police officers assigned to the AG’s Office, along with local and federal authorities, executed search warrants at the spa locations. Authorities arrested Mussari at Aria Day Spa in Brockton and she was subsequently arraigned in Brockton District Court. 

A Statewide Grand Jury returned indictments against Mussari in March 2012.

In 2011, the AG’s Office filed and advocated for human trafficking legislation. In November 2011, Governor Deval Patrick signed An Act Relative to the Commercial Exploitation of People, which went into effect on Feb. 19, 2012. The law establishes the state crimes of human trafficking for sexual servitude and human trafficking for forced labor.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorneys General Megan McLaughlin and Cesar Vega, both of AG Healey’s Enterprise, Major & Cyber Crimes Division, Victim Witness Advocate Rebecca Auld, Director in the AG’s Victim and Witness Services Division, and Investigator Sallyann Nelligan, Director of the AG’s Financial Investigations Division, with assistance from State Police assigned to the AG’s Office and the AG’s Digital Evidence Lab. The Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office, the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office, the State Police CAT team, the State Police Division of Field Services, the Boston office of the FBI, the Division of Professional Licensure, and the Canton Police and the Norwood Police also assisted in this case.

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