Maine doctor accused of running a massage parlor as a front for prostitution - WMTW Portland

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A doctor in Yarmouth is charged with sex trafficking, and investigators say he was running an illicit massage business.Peter O'Donnell, 68, of Yarmouth, was arrested Thursday morning. Maine's Total Coverage was there as police executed a search warrant at his doctor's office on Forest Hills Drive in Yarmouth.Police also searched his massage business, A. Envy, on Route 1 in Freeport at the same time. They say that business was a front for prostitution, with O'Donnell recruiting and employing people to perform sexual services for clients.During Thursday's searches, authorities identified two people suspected to be victims of human trafficking. O'Donnell's bail was set at $2,500, and his arraignment is scheduled for Jan. 7, 2025.Police said this case is the result of an extensive investigation led by the Freeport Police Department in partnership with the Brunswick Police Department."Sex trafficking remains a serious issue across the nation, and Maine is not immune. This case highlights how some individuals misuse power, wealth, or influence to exploit others," police said in a release. Carlie Fischer, an advocate for the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault, said sex trafficking remains a serious issue across the nation and in Maine."What we know is that about 300 to 400 people per year experience sex trafficking in Maine, and about three percent of Mainers are affected by human trafficking in their lifetime," Fischer said.Maine's Total Coverage reporter Jim Keithley spoke with a woman who answered the door at A. Envy. Through a translator app, the woman said she was waiting for a delivery and did not work at the business nor live there.Maine's Total Coverage was unable to get in contact with O'Donnell for comment.

YARMOUTH, Maine —

A doctor in Yarmouth is charged with sex trafficking, and investigators say he was running an illicit massage business.

Peter O'Donnell, 68, of Yarmouth, was arrested Thursday morning. Maine's Total Coverage was there as police executed a search warrant at his doctor's office on Forest Hills Drive in Yarmouth.

Police also searched his massage business, A. Envy, on Route 1 in Freeport at the same time. They say that business was a front for prostitution, with O'Donnell recruiting and employing people to perform sexual services for clients.

During Thursday's searches, authorities identified two people suspected to be victims of human trafficking.

O'Donnell's bail was set at $2,500, and his arraignment is scheduled for Jan. 7, 2025.

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Police said this case is the result of an extensive investigation led by the Freeport Police Department in partnership with the Brunswick Police Department.

"Sex trafficking remains a serious issue across the nation, and Maine is not immune. This case highlights how some individuals misuse power, wealth, or influence to exploit others," police said in a release.

Carlie Fischer, an advocate for the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault, said sex trafficking remains a serious issue across the nation and in Maine.

"What we know is that about 300 to 400 people per year experience sex trafficking in Maine, and about three percent of Mainers are affected by human trafficking in their lifetime," Fischer said.

Maine's Total Coverage reporter Jim Keithley spoke with a woman who answered the door at A. Envy. Through a translator app, the woman said she was waiting for a delivery and did not work at the business nor live there.

Maine's Total Coverage was unable to get in contact with O'Donnell for comment.