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MISSOULA — A woman who was found guilty on sex and labor trafficking charges appeared in a Missoula courtroom on Tuesday for sentencing.
Missoula District Court Judge Leslie Halligan sentenced Yanbin Bao to just under 10 years in prison.
A jury had found Bao guilty on four felony counts of sex trafficking and one felony count of labor trafficking.
Bao owned Soul Massage, which was described by prosecutors as an illicit commercial massage parlor in Missoula.
It was previously stated that Bao was convicted in the "first large-scale sex and labor trafficking case" by the Missoula County Attorney’s Office.
An investigation began in late May of 2023 when a person, named only as "Jane Doe," contacted police, reporting that she had been physically assaulted by Bao and her husband, Richard Bushey, at Soul Massage in Missoula.
Emily Brown/MTN News
Yanbin Bao appearing for sentencing on sex and labor trafficking charges in a Missoula courtroom on May 27, 2025.
What are described as "deplorable conditions" at Soul Massage, along with Jane Doe's statements, led officers to believe that Bao was engaged in sex trafficking.
Two Missoula County Sheriff's Office detectives eventually identified three victims that Bao had recruited and trafficked between April 26, 2023, and May 29, 2023.
Bao was also fined $10,000 on Tuesday and cannot open her own business without the permission of a probation officer.
Missoula District Court Judge Leslie Halligan sentenced Yanbin Bao to just under 10 years in prison.
A jury had found Bao guilty on four felony counts of sex trafficking and one felony count of labor trafficking.
Bao owned Soul Massage, which was described by prosecutors as an illicit commercial massage parlor in Missoula.
It was previously stated that Bao was convicted in the "first large-scale sex and labor trafficking case" by the Missoula County Attorney’s Office.
An investigation began in late May of 2023 when a person, named only as "Jane Doe," contacted police, reporting that she had been physically assaulted by Bao and her husband, Richard Bushey, at Soul Massage in Missoula.

Emily Brown/MTN News
Yanbin Bao appearing for sentencing on sex and labor trafficking charges in a Missoula courtroom on May 27, 2025.
What are described as "deplorable conditions" at Soul Massage, along with Jane Doe's statements, led officers to believe that Bao was engaged in sex trafficking.
Two Missoula County Sheriff's Office detectives eventually identified three victims that Bao had recruited and trafficked between April 26, 2023, and May 29, 2023.
Bao was also fined $10,000 on Tuesday and cannot open her own business without the permission of a probation officer.