According to Homeland Security special agents, Jason Daniel Gandy, 37, frequently traveled to Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. He also traveled overseas to the Philippines and Bali, Indonesia.
The corner of Dowling and Trujillo may look like any other in historic Third Ward. But authorities say there was nothing normal about what Gandy was doing inside the garage.
Homeland Security Agent Cardell Morant said, "He ran a massage parlor and he utilized that business for the purpose of sexual exploitation of children."
The first case came to light in 2012. Immigration officials in London discovered Gandy trying to get into their country with a 15-year-old boy.
"Since he gave them conflicting stories that raised alarms," Morant said.
Court documents show Gandy at the time was carrying over 90 condoms. Once the two were sent back to Houston, officials here discovered Gandy was forcing the 15-year-old to perform sexual acts on his massage clients. It turns out, there were more reported victims.
Morant said, "Recently we had an adult victim of Gandy's come forward and provide additional information related to this investigation."
Authorities now say Gandy had been running this operation for about 10 years. His neighbor, Eddie Davis, tells us he isn't surprised.
"He said that he was looking for a building to purchase to expand his massage parlor," Davis said.
Davis says he didn't know what type of parlor Gandy was running, but for the sake of the victims, he is glad it has since been shut down. Gandy remains in custody pending further criminal proceedings.
HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators.
Take ABC13 with you!
Download our free apps for iPhone, iPad and Android devices
