Three arrested at Luxury Spa in Blaine

One woman and two men were arrested on May 29 after officers from the Blaine Police Department executed a search warrant at the Luxury Spa, located at the Blaine International shopping center, 1733 H Street, Suite 800. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Bellingham Police Department assisted.

Law enforcement vehicles entered the parking lot just after 1 p.m. and arrested Jie Deng, 39, of Renton, on a charge of second-degree rape, which she is suspected of committing at the spa, according to a May 29 Blaine PD press release. Blaine PD also arrested two patrons who were present, Todd Aric Berge, 57, of Blaine, and Ankhjargal Jargalsaikhan, 38, of Corona, California, on preliminary charges of patronizing a prostitute.

Berge and Jargalsaikhan were booked into Whatcom County Jail around 4:20 p.m. May 29 and released about 5 p.m. the same day, according to jail booking data. Deng’s bail was set at a $25,000 bond or $2,500 cash, and she was released May 31.

According to an affidavit of probable cause, on April 25, Deng sexually assaulted a female customer who reported the incident to police on May 10. The victim also told Blaine PD that, while paying, Deng attempted to cover up a screen that showed multiple camera views inside the location, including the room where the victim had been assaulted.

According to court documents, Deng was provided a public defendant and Mandarin interpreter via phone for her preliminary appearance. An arraignment date is set for Friday, June 7.

BPD officers were seen leaving the business with multiple evidence bags, according to eyewitness reports.

Christine Sittner, manager of the Subway sandwich shop next door, said the 1,200 square-foot spa had been consistently busy since opening a few months ago, operating on a “cash-only” basis that served both local and Canadian customers coming from over the border.

According to the Washington State Department of Revenue, the business is owned by Dandan Wu, and has operated with a valid business license since March 20. The city of Blaine did not respond to request for comments on whether Luxury Spa’s business license was still active.

“Our thoughts go out to the victim of the sexual assault,” the Blaine PD statement said. “We are glad to have been able to bring the suspect to justice. We want to thank the community for your tips and information, which led to the completion of a criminal case and the arrest of three subjects.”