Xiangwei Ma

Introduction

Xiangwei Ma is a 56-year-old Simi Valley woman whom prosecutors identified as the head of a family-run criminal enterprise that operated commercial sex businesses disguised as legitimate massage parlors in Ventura County, California, for more than a decade. A Ventura County jury convicted her of pimping, mortgage fraud and nine counts of money laundering, along with special findings including a prior prison term, and she now faces up to 17 years in state prison at her sentencing on October 23, 2026. Three relatives — her husband Ming Ma, her brother Xiangdong Ma and her sister Li Ma — were convicted alongside her, and a fifth defendant, Li’s husband Jaime Calderon, pleaded guilty to money laundering in 2023.

Background Information

The investigation began in 2020, when multiple law enforcement agencies received anonymous “whistleblower” letters reporting suspected prostitution and human trafficking at Ventura County massage establishments, including Miracle Massage in Ventura and A+ Massage in Port Hueneme. Investigators determined that the family operated brothels disguised as legitimate massage businesses, recruiting and exploiting women from China for commercial sex, according to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office. Xiangwei Ma had previously pleaded guilty to attempted pandering in Los Angeles County and served an 18-month prison sentence; prosecutors say that while she was incarcerated the other family members kept the businesses running, and that after her release she resumed directing the operation while avoiding being listed as an owner or manager, using other people as nominal “straw” owners to conceal her involvement in businesses and real estate.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Criminal convictions. A Ventura County jury found Xiangwei Ma and three family members guilty of multiple felonies, and the trial court additionally found or accepted admissions on sentencing enhancements. These are verdicts, not mere accusations, but the account below is drawn from prosecutors’ announcements and news coverage, and sentencing has not yet occurred.

One alleged money-laundering scheme centered on a home on Crowne Oak Lane in Simi Valley, where prosecutors say Xiangwei Ma made conflicting representations about her employment and income before seeking a short sale; Calderon ultimately became the listed buyer, and despite sale terms requiring her to leave, she continued living there, according to the District Attorney’s release. At trial, the jury found Xiangwei Ma guilty of pimping under Penal Code 266h(a), mortgage fraud, and nine counts of money laundering; Xiangdong Ma of pimping and five money-laundering counts; Li Ma of pimping and one money-laundering count; and Ming Ma of pimping and two money-laundering counts. The verdicts were returned on September 24 and 29, 2026, per the New York Post. Xiangwei Ma and Ming Ma admitted each offense involved planning, sophistication or professionalism; she also admitted serving a prior prison term and that the mortgage fraud involved a taking of great monetary value, and admissions and jury findings established the basis for forfeiture of more than $1.25 million in seized currency, bank funds and life insurance cash values. Prosecutors say the enterprise moved and concealed at least $1.25 million in prostitution profits through financial institutions, life insurance policies, casinos and real estate transactions, and are now seeking to seize the assets. All four family members were remanded into custody at the Ventura County Jail following the verdicts.

Public Reaction and Consequences

District Attorney Erik Nasarenko framed the verdicts as a warning to the illicit-massage trade: “Illicit massage businesses are often fronts for human trafficking and pimping where victims are coerced into performing commercial sex work,” he said, adding that the case “demonstrates our commitment to use the full weight of this office to hold these offenders accountable.” Senior Deputy District Attorney Rikole Kelly, who prosecuted the case, thanked jurors and said, “We also recognize the victim’s courage in testifying despite her fear.” Since 2023 the DA’s office has run a Landlord Engagement Program with Ventura police, the county Human Trafficking Task Force and city governments to educate property owners about illicit massage businesses and pursue remedies when landlords allow the activity to continue. All of the massage businesses tied to the family have since closed, according to the New York Post.

Current Status

All four Ma family members are in custody at the Ventura County Jail awaiting sentencing: Xiangwei Ma on October 23, 2026, facing 17 years in state prison; Xiangdong Ma the same day, facing 13 years; Li Ma on November 2, 2026, facing eight years and eight months; and Ming Ma on November 4, 2026, facing 11 years and four months. Calderon, who pleaded guilty to money laundering on August 11, 2023, was previously sentenced to time in Ventura County Jail. The convictions and admitted enhancements establish the basis for forfeiture of the defendants’ interests in more than $1.25 million, and prosecutors continue to pursue seizure of assets tied to the enterprise.

Impact on Their Career/Life

The verdicts ended a commercial-sex operation that had run for more than a decade behind storefronts presented as legitimate spas, and dismantled the money-moving apparatus — bank accounts, life insurance policies, casino transactions and real estate — that prosecutors say kept its profits hidden. For Xiangwei Ma personally, a record that already included an attempted-pandering conviction and an 18-month prison term now carries a jury finding that she directed the enterprise, plus admitted enhancements covering a prior prison term and high-dollar laundering, exposing her to 17 years at an October 2026 sentencing and the loss of more than $1.25 million in assets. The case now anchors the District Attorney’s public campaign on illicit massage businesses and human trafficking in Ventura County.

Sources

• Ventura County District Attorney, “Ma Family Criminal Enterprise Convicted in Prostitution & Money Laundering Case” (Release No. 26-135), September 30, 2026 — source
• New York Post, “Secret family-run criminal empire busted for pimping, illegal sex operation collapses,” October 3, 2026 — source
• KEYT, “Four Family Members Convicted of Running Countywide Commercial Sex Operation,” September 30, 2026 — source