A Boston Police SUV.
David L. Ryan | Boston Globe | Getty Photographs
A community of “refined” high-end brothels in larger Boston and jap Virginia supplied intercourse for pay to “elected officers, excessive tech and pharmaceutical executives, docs, army officers, authorities contractors that possess safety clearances, professors,” and others, federal prosecutors stated Wednesday.
“Choose a occupation, they’re most likely represented on this case,” stated appearing U.S. Lawyer for Massachusetts Joshua Levy at a press convention saying the arrests of three folks in reference to working the dear intercourse outlets.
Levy’s workplace stated that the brothels required ” intercourse consumers” to supply employer data and references earlier than reserving periods with prostitutes.
The brothels charged prospects about $350 to “upwards of $600 per hour relying on the companies and have been paid in money,” in response to Levy’s workplace.
The appointments with intercourse employees allegedly befell in “high-end residence complexes” the place the lease was as a lot as $5,600, authorities stated.
Two web sites used to promote companies by prostitutes who labored on the brothels embrace nude pictures of girls in addition to their bodily dimensions.
“Right here to serve our fantastic Boston mates,” one of many web sites stated, in response to a picture seen by CNBC.
“Every web site allegedly described a verification course of that intercourse consumers undertook to be eligible for appointment bookings — together with requiring purchasers full a kind offering their full names, e mail handle, telephone quantity, employer and reference if that they had one,” the U.S. Lawyer’s workplace stated.
At the least 5 flats rented by one of many defendants, California resident James Lee, have been used as brothels.
Along with James Lee, arrested within the case have been two Massachusetts residents, Han “Hana” Lee, 41, and 30-year-old Junmyung Lee.
Every defendant was charged with conspiracy to coerce and entice to journey to interact in unlawful sexual exercise.
“It’s alleged that the defendants collectively established the infrastructure for brothels in a number of states which they used to influence, induce and entice girls – primarily Asian girls – to journey to Massachusetts and Virginia to interact in prostitution,” the U.S. Lawyer’s workplace stated.
The brothels, which started working round July 2020, have been positioned in Cambridge and Watertown, Massachusetts, in addition to in Fairfax and Tysons, Virginia.
The Virginia places are near Washington, D.C., in an space that’s rife with authorities contractors, lots of whom have authorities safety clearances.
The Boston space is dwelling to many pharmaceutical and tech corporations, high monetary companies and regulation corporations, and main American universities.
Along with politicians and army brass, enterprise executives and authorities contractors, prospects included “legal professionals, scientists and accountants.”
“The investigation into the involvement of intercourse consumers is lively and ongoing,” the U.S. Lawyer’s workplace stated.
About 20 “intercourse consumers” have been interviewed by the investigators as a part of a multiyear probe of the community, in response to a legal grievance.
“I consider there are probably a whole bunch of but to be recognized prospects,” a Division of Homeland Safety particular agent wrote within the grievance.
In a courtroom submitting later Wednesday looking for to have James Lee, 68, detained with out bail as a flight danger, prosecutors pointed to proof displaying that he had rented the flats used as brothels underneath his title and “a minimum of two fraudulent identities.”
“Monetary information point out that James has a number of companies and corresponding enterprise financial institution accounts in his title and within the names of his fraudulent identities, which I consider he makes use of to launder the proceeds of the prostitution enterprise,” Division of Homeland Safety Particular Agent Zachary Mitlitsky wrote in an affidavit supporting that detention request.
James Lee’s enterprise accounts additionally present deposits of $550,633 in federal Covid-19 aid funds associated to numerous corporations managed by him or by identities which are suspected of being him, the affidavit stated.
The affidavit says the Covid-19 aid funds have been presumably “fraudulently obtained.”
The grievance means that the investigation started in 2020, when a confidential supply who was awaiting sentencing on then-pending federal legal prices supplied data to authorities in regards to the community of brothels.
The legal grievance says that between December 2019 and October this yr, Han Lee “has deposited slightly below $795,000 of money into her private Financial institution of America financial institution accounts, whereas additionally using one other roughly $109,000 in money to make funds in opposition to her Financial institution of America bank card account, which she makes use of repeatedly for journey associated purchases and different bills related to brothel operations.”
Throughout the identical time interval, Junmyung, who’s a pupil, “has deposited slightly below $194,000 money into his private Financial institution of America account, whereas additionally using one other $47,305 in money to make funds in opposition to his Financial institution of America bank card account,” the grievance stated.
Han Lee and Junmyung Lee have been arrested Wednesday morning and are on account of seem in Boston federal courtroom later within the day.
James Lee was arrested in California, the place he resides, and can seem in Boston courtroom at a later date.