Politicians, corporate executives and military officers reportedly are among the clients of high-end brothels operating in Massachusetts and Virginia.
Prosecutors say the sex businesses were run out of apartments in Cambridge and Watertown, along with two locations in Virginia.
Customers reportedly advertised the brothel network online and used a detailed verification process for customers.
According to Acting US Attorney Joshua Levy- "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."
Arrested and charged with federal sex crimes yesterday were Han Lee of Cambridge, Junmyung Lee of Dedham and James Lee of California.
The investigation is continuing.
(Photo by KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP via Getty Images)