Federal authorities said three ringleaders of a commercial prostitution ring that catered to “affluent and well-connected clients” near Boston, Massachusetts and eastern Virginia are seeking plea bargains.
in press release, The Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that Han “Hana” Lee, 41, of Cambridge, Massachusetts; James Lee, 68, of Torrance, California; and Junmyong Lee, 30, of Dedham, Massachusetts, are accused of operating a “sophisticated” commercial sex network.
Authorities said the trio ran immoral business ventures in Watertown and Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Virginia.
In their high-dollar sex business, buyers were paying up to $600 an hour for a variety of sex acts.
Shocking video shows prisoner attacking police officer with makeshift knife
A street prostitute stands next to a car. The trio ran high-end brothels in the Boston metropolitan area and eastern Virginia. (iStock)
The brothel network advertised to customers through the websites bostontopten10.com and browneyesgirlsva.blog.
According to court documents, the websites claimed to be recruiting nude models for professional photo shoots but in fact were arranging meetings with commercial sex workers.
“The men paid for sexual acts with women advertised on the Boston Top Ten website at multiple luxury apartment complexes in Cambridge and Watertown, at least four of which were open until November 8, 2023,” a copy of the indictment states.
Two NYPD officers shot dead during shootout at New Jersey hotel, suspect dies
The indictment alleges that Han “maintained and updated” a website that featured photographs of sex workers.
“The websites, which served as free advertisements for prostitutes traveling to Massachusetts and Virginia to perform commercial sex acts, were generally maintained and updated by HAN, who provided access to photographs of the women,” the indictment states.
The three also maintained a “menu” that allowed buyers to choose sexual partners in which they were interested.
According to court documents, each website described a verification process that buyers interested in sex acts had to go through to qualify for a booking, requiring customers to fill out a form providing their name, email address, phone number, employer and references, if any.
This thorough process was said to have helped to convince high-end clients that their clients were not members of law enforcement or men who posed a risk to the safety and security of commercial sex workers.
Prosecutors said the group also allegedly concealed proceeds from the prostitution network by depositing hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash into personal bank accounts and through peer-to-peer transfers.
Three people who were arrested and indicted in November 2023 for operating high-end brothels in the Boston metropolitan area and eastern Virginia have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston, Massachusetts. (iStock)
The three were indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of conspiracy to persuade, induce, entice or coerce one or more individuals to engage in interstate or foreign commercial travel to engage in prostitution, and one count of money laundering conspiracy.
All three defendants were arraigned in person on February 6.
Click here to get the FOX News app
Since then, counsel “gave evidence from electronic devices on March 5 and May 30, 2024.”
“The parties are in plea agreement discussions,” U.S. Magistrate Judge David Hennessy wrote in a brief filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Boston.
