The U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Massachusetts released the below information:
BOSTON – Three individuals have been arrested in connection with
operating sophisticated high-end brothels in greater Boston and eastern
Virginia. Commercial sex buyers allegedly included elected officials, high tech
and pharmaceutical executives, doctors, military officers, government
contractors that possess security clearances, professors, attorneys, scientists
and accountants, among others.
The following
defendants have been charged with conspiracy to coerce and entice to travel to
engage in illegal sexual activity:
- Han Lee, a/k/a “Hana,” 41, of Cambridge, Mass.;
- James Lee, 68, of Torrance, Calif.; and
- Junmyung Lee, 30, of Dedham, Mass.
Han Lee and
Junmyung Lee were arrested this morning and will appear in federal court in
Boston later today. James Lee was arrested in the Central District of
California and will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.
According to the
charging documents, from at least July 2020, the defendants operated an
interstate prostitution network with multiple brothels in Cambridge and
Watertown, Mass., as well as in Fairfax and Tysons, Va.
It is alleged
that the defendants collectively established the infrastructure for brothels in
multiple states which they used to persuade, induce and entice women –
primarily Asian women – to travel to Massachusetts and Virginia to engage in
prostitution.
Specifically,
the defendants allegedly rented high-end apartment complexes as brothel
locations, which they furnished and regularly maintained. The monthly rent for
the brothel locations were as high as $3,664. It is further alleged that the
defendants coordinated the women’s airline travel and transportation and
permitted women to stay overnight in the brothel locations so they did not have
to find lodging elsewhere, therefore enticing women to participate in their
prostitution network.
The defendants
allegedly advertised their prostitution network primarily on two websites –
bostontopten10.com and browneyesgirlsva.blog – which offered appointments with
women in either greater Boston or eastern Virginia, respectively. Both websites
purported to advertise nude Asian models for professional photography at
upscale studios as a front for prostitution offered through appointments with
women listed on their websites. The websites listed the height, weight and bust
size of women available for appointments and depicted nude and/or semi-nude
photographs of each. The women listed as available on the websites updated
frequently, with updates to include “coming soon” or “open” to reflect an
impending arrival of new women arriving in the area.
Each website
allegedly described a verification process that interested sex buyers undertook
to be eligible for appointment bookings– including requiring clients complete a
form providing their full names, email address, phone number, employer and
reference if they had one.
It is further
alleged that the defendants maintained local brothel phone numbers which they
used to communicate with verified customers and schedule appointments via text
message. In these text message exchanges, the defendants allegedly sent
customers a “menu” of available options at the brothel, including the women and
sexual services available and the hourly rate. Additionally, the defendants
allegedly texted customers directions to the brothel’s location – a high-end
apartments – where they engaged in commercial sex with the women.
According to the
charging documents, the defendants charged sex buyers a premium price for
appointments with the women advertised on their websites, which ranged from
approximately $350 to upwards of $600 per hour depending on the services and
were paid in cash. The defendants allegedly concealed the proceeds of the
prostitution network through depositing hundreds of thousands of dollars of
cash proceeds into their personal bank accounts and peer-to-peer transfers.
Additionally, it is alleged that the defendants regularly used hundreds of
thousands of dollars of the cash proceeds from the prostitution business to
purchase money orders (in values under an amount that would trigger reporting
and identification requirements) to conceal the source of the funds. These
money orders were then used to pay for rent and utilities at brothel locations
in Massachusetts and Virginia.
Over the course
of the investigation, a wide array of buyers were identified, including, but
not limited to, politicians, high tech and pharmaceutical executives, doctors,
military officers, government contractors that possess security clearances,
professors, lawyers, scientists and accountants.
The
investigation into the involvement of sex buyers is active and ongoing.
Members of the
public who have questions, concerns or information regarding this case should
contact USAMA.VictimAssistance@usdoj.gov.
The charge of
conspiracy to coerce and entice to travel to engage in illegal sexual activity
provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of
supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a
federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and
statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Acting United
States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of
Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Cambridge Police
Commissioner Christine Elow made the announcement today. Valuable assistance
was provided by the Central District of California; the Eastern District of
Virginia; the U.S. Postal Service; and the Watertown Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey E. Weinstein of the Criminal Division and
Assistant U.S. Attorney Raquelle Kaye, of the Asset Recovery Unit are
prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
No comments:
Post a Comment