Delay In Case Over Alleged Wenatchee Prostitution Ring

There's a delay in the court case of a suspect accused of running a prostitution ring out of a Wenatchee massage parlor. 

The arraignment of 61-year-old Linhui Yan did not take place this week because of the absence of the judge assigned to the case. 

The hearing has been reset for next Wednesday in Chelan County Superior Court.   

Meanwhile, Yan's attorney said he hasn’t been able to confer with him despite repeated attempts since Yan’s arrest more than two weeks ago 

Seattle-based attorney Gregory Hoover also filed a 12-page motion to have Yan released on his own recognizance with a bail of $500. 

Hoover argued there was no risk of nonappearance on the part of Yan. 

The judge left Yan’s bail intact at $500,000. 

Yan was arrested on March 20, more than a year after prostitution charges were brought against him. 

Deputies could not locate him despite a coordinated attempt with multiple law enforcement agencies and assumed he was back home in China. 

Yan's wife, 45-year-old Yan Yang is thought to still be out of the country. She is charged with the same crimes as Yan. 

The charges were initially brought in February of 2023 after a yearlong investigation by the Columbia River Drug Task Force into Lin Massage in the 400 block of North Mission Street and Angel Spa in the 300 block of North Chelan Street. 

The Washington state Department of Health in January announced the indefinite suspension of the massage therapist license for Yan, saying he failed to respond to its inquiry over felony charges against him.