A new indictment alleges that three people have been operating a “high-end brothel network” since 2020, with clientele including members of the military and the government.
In a press release issued Wednesday morning, federal prosecutors said they had arrested Han Lee, 41, James Lee, 68, and Junmyung Lee, 30, for running an “interstate prostitution network” that included brothels in Cambridge and Watertown, Massachusetts, and Fairfax and Tysons, Virginia, near Washington, D.C.
Two websites were used to promote the defendants’ call-girl ring, with each woman’s height, weight, and bust size posted along with nude and semi-nude images, as claimed by prosecutors.
In a so-called verification procedure, prospective “clients” were asked to provide personal information such as their names, email addresses, telephone numbers, and places of employment on the websites. Prosecutors claim that “johns” made arrangements with the brothel over the phone to meet at “Target Locations,” which were luxurious apartments.
The federal agents interrogated twenty persons, and one of them described a “menu” text message from a number linked to one of the accused brothel websites.
Officials said that the hourly rates for the brothel’s services were between $350 and $600.
Lawyers, professors, pharmaceutical executives, military officers, government contractors with security clearances, business executives, technology company executives, scientists, accountants, retail employees, and students were among the alleged clientele of the high-end brothel network, according to the prosecution.
Due to an ongoing investigation, the names of the clients were withheld.
Customers interviewed by federal agents reported seeing instructions on the website that said “1st-time photographers” needed to send in a “selfie” photo and a driver’s license photo in addition to providing payment card information.
The men, the indictment claims, “deposited hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash profits into their personal bank accounts via peer-to-peer transfers” to keep the money from their illegal ring hidden. It is further claimed that the defendants concealed the origin of hundreds of thousands of dollars by purchasing money orders for amounts below the reporting criteria.
A maximum of twenty years in jail, three years of supervised release, and a maximum fine of two hundred fifty thousand dollars are possible outcomes for Han Lee, James Lee, and Junmyung Lee.
