SPRINGFIELD -- A seasoned prosecutor with the Hampden district attorney's office says he was unaware a spa leasing space in a building he owns was an alleged hub of prostitution, money laundering and sex trafficking -- and that he will work to evict the tenant.

Assistant Hampden District Attorney Henry L. Rigali on Tuesday said he has owned 78 Maple St. as a real estate investment for 25 years, after The Republican reviewed public records associated with the property.

The converted home was one of two sites raided by state police on Jan. 23 and identified by investigators as sex shops that exploited Asian women.

Rigali said he was unaware of any alleged illicit business practices at his property. There is no indication he had any role in the alleged schemes, based on discussions in open court since the defendants' arrests.

"I have zero tolerance for the activities that are alleged here. I am more than happy to cooperate with the state police and attorney general's office," Rigali said Tuesday evening.

"Eviction proceedings will begin immediately or as soon as the law allows," Rigali said of his tenant of about two years, The Day Spa, raided along with another business on Belmont Avenue.

Liu Yang, 61, of Springfield, and Steven C. Forsley, 65, of Bernardston, each pleaded not guilty in Springfield District Court on Jan. 24 to five charges including trafficking of persons for sexual servitude, deriving support from prostitution and money laundering.

Assistant Attorney General Amy Karangekis told a judge the "spas" raked in about $100,000 from an all-male clientele over the six months they were under investigation. In addition to massages, they sold sex acts, Karangekis said.

In 2016, Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Gulluni, then-U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz and Attorney General Maura Healey's office announced a state, local and federal task force to crack down on human trafficking.

Rigali has been among Gulluni's top prosecutors since 2015. Rigali was a defense lawyer in private practice before that, a former Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Springfield office prior to that, and an assistant prosecutor under late Hampden District Attorney Matthew "Matty" Ryan for a decade before that.

James Leydon, spokesman for Gulluni's office, said no disciplinary action has been taken regarding Rigali's ownership of the building but declined further comment, citing the pending criminal investigation.

A spokeswoman for state Attorney General Maura Healey's office, which conducted the investigation, declined any comment.

Yang is the owner of both spas, and routinely transported Asian women from Flushing, New York, to Springfield to work in her businesses, Karangekis said.

Rigali does not own the second property, the Health and Relaxation Spa at 803 Belmont Ave. Women often slept at that spa and rarely were seen unaccompanied by Yang, according to investigators.

"I'm glad the police caught them. This is totally, totally inappropriate," Rigali said.

Rigali's Maple Street building has other tenants including one man who bills himself as a "world traveler," according to a placard on the exterior.

Asked when he knew anything was amiss at the business, Rigali declined comment.

"I have to respect another agency's investigatory process," he said.

Yang and Forsley have been released on bail and are due back in court for pretrial hearings on Feb. 23.