According to the Justice Department, the ringleaders operated two websites to advertise Asian ‘models’ for photography as a front.
“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 US Attorney’s Office of the District of Massachusetts said.
According to the DOJ, 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.
According to the charging documents, the defendants operated an interstate prostitution network with multiple brothels from July 2020 to present in Cambridge and Watertown, Massachusetts, as well as in Fairfax and Tysons, Virginia.
Federal investigators received examples of a “menu” text message (pic below) sent to one of the “Johns.”
The brothel owners kept “impeccable records” according to the affidavit released Wednesday night as feds prepare to go public with the list of “Johns.”
Fox News reported:
The three individuals charged with running brothels in Massachusetts and Washington, D.C., that allegedly hosted high-profile clientele, including political and military leaders, brought in over a million dollars running the operation, a top federal investigator on the case said Wednesday.
According to an affidavit submitted to the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts by the Department of Homeland Security, the alleged ringleaders of the operation, James Lee of California, along with Han Lee and Junmyung Lee of Massachusetts, made the chunk of change while running the service out of high-end apartments in Massachusetts and the Washington, D.C., suburbs since 2020.
The affidavit also said the defendants kept “impeccable” records of the operation showing the amounts it brought in.
“I do not believe that HAN has legitimate employment but I do believe she has made an astounding amount of money running her prostitution business over the last several years,” DHS Special Agent Zachary Mitlitsky wrote, referencing the alleged ringleader of the operation.
The affidavit added that two of Han Lee’s bank accounts brought in $965,000, mostly in cash, from December 2019 to October 2023, and that she is believed to have access to other foreign accounts.
According to investigative reporter Paul Sperry, “Investigators suspect prostitution ring may have been part of Chinese espionage plot targeting high-tech government contracting centers like Cambridge and Tysons Corner”
https://twitter.com/paulsperry_/status/1722651038409277454
