Illicit spa owner busted with $600K stuffed inside giant teddy bear during NJ prostitution raid

It was a fuzzy front.

The proprietor of an illegal spa in New Jersey was apprehended on prostitution accusations after law enforcement officers raided both her provocative establishment and residence. They confiscated luxury items, a Tesla, and a teddy bear filled with $600,000 in cash.

Daniela Diienno, aged 47, along with four other women, was detained on Thursday during a coordinated raid on Bliss Spa in Edison. This action came after a yearlong undercover investigation, as reported by NJ.com.

The investigation extended to Diienno’s residence, where detectives found $650,000 in cash, including a substantial amount enclosed within the plush toy. Additionally, they seized a 2025 Tesla Model Y and watches from Rolex and Cartier, according to the police.

Authorities also recovered an additional $104,373 from the spa owner’s bank accounts — making it the largest asset seizure in the township’s history.

“This operation is a direct result of the commitment and coordination between departments and agencies that have worked tirelessly to target and dismantle organized criminal enterprises operating under the guise of legitimate business,” Edison Police Chief Tom Bryan said in a statement.

“The amount of cash seized and the elaborate concealment methods used to show just how sophisticated and profitable these illegal operations can be. We will continue our efforts to rid our community of these establishments.”

Police also arrested Vanessa Bosada, 30, of Maspeth, New York; Eduardo Beilfus, 26, of Newark; Maria Palacios, 45 of Yonkers, New York; and Alisson Cunningham, 26, of Roselle, Patch reported.

They were each charged with engaging in or soliciting prostitution and released on summonses.

It wasn’t immediately clear the role the four women played in the prostitution ring.

Diilenno was hit with first-degree money laundering, second-degree promoting organized street crime, third-degree promoting prostitution and fourth-degree maintaining a house of prostitution, police said.

She was being held at the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center pending a detention hearing, the outlets reported.

The spa’s business license was also suspended after it was slapped with multiple health code violations.

The lewd joint is the latest risqué racket to close since Edison officials started cracking down on local establishments with alleged connections to prostitution and narcotics in 2022.

“This initiative was launched by my administration with a clear mission: to restore a sense of safety and integrity to our neighborhoods and commercial zones,” Mayor Sam Joshi said, according to Patch.

The Edison Police Department did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.

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