New York man charged after operating prostitution ring in Westfield rental home

WESTFIELD, Ind. (WISH) — Two people leasing a short-term rental property in Westfield now face charges after an investigation uncovered they’d been using the property for prostitution.

Westfield Police Department officers arrested Chaopeng Chen and QingPing Chen on Thursday after investigators were notified earlier in the week about “suspected prostitution activity” at a Westfield home on Beechwood

At the start of the investigation, detectives soon determined that “multiple men had traveled to the residence after agreeing to pay for various sex acts.” Chaopeng Chen reportedly acted as a “check-in person” for the people coming and going through the home.

Police on Wednesday obtained a search warrant, while also recruiting the help of the FBI and Homeland Security.

Minutes before executing a search warrant on Thursday afternoon, police say a man arrived at the home to “allegedly engage in prostitution.” When investigators moved in for the search, that man left the home. The Chens initially refused to exit the home, but did so some time later “without incident.”

According to police, the suspects had been renting the home through a short-term rental company “for the purpose of conducting illicit activities.” Online jail records list Brooklyn, New York, as Chaopeng Chen’s home address.

A search of the home netted police over $7,500 in cash, cocaine, and other “pr...