An investigation into several South Carolina massage parlors included the investigator paying workers to perform sexual acts using tax-payer money, according to a new report by the Myrtle Beach Sun News. The information compiled by Columbia-based private investigator Ken Robison Sr. over the course of two months in 2019 was used by Horry County authorities to close more than 20 of the businesses.
A contract between the Robison Investigations Agency and Battle Law Firm, special prosecutor for the investigation, allowed Robison "to do all things necessary, appropriate, or advisable in performing said services for and in the best interests of" Battle Law Firm. The investigation was funded by police departments in Horry County, Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, and Surfside Beach, and cost over $65,000 in total.
According to The Sun News, Robison kept detailed records of each visit, including when he arrived, what the women looked like, where he touched them, and where he allowed them to touch him, among other details.
Despite the information being used to shut down the illicit businesses, several law enforcement experts and former prosecutors were stunned by the lengths of the investigation, especially given that many workers in similar massage parlors across the country have been identified as victims of sex trafficking. One human trafficking expert in Texas even said his department would have arrested Robison if he received his report.
The newspaper couldn't reach Robison for comment because he died last year. The police departments involved either declined to comment or "didn't have an opinion" on the investigator's actions.
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