In modern apartments located in two cities in Northern Virginia and in Boston, Massachusetts, a network of high-class brothels operated, whose clients were business executives, military personnel and top officials, according to the US Attorney's Office reported on Monday. for the District of Massachusetts, in a statement.
Three suspects were arrested on Wednesday of last week and accused of managing these luxury brothels, which operated in apartment buildings located in the areas of Tysons and the Mosaic district, both jurisdictions belonging to Fairfax County, Virginia.
According to the court document, the detainees are:
- Han Lee, also known as “Hana,” 41, of Cambridge, Massachusetts;
- James Lee, 68, of Torrance, California; and
- Junmyung Lee, 30, of Dedham, Massachusetts.
Investigations determined that since at least July 2020, the three defendants ran an interstate prostitution operation in Cambridge and Watertown, Massachusetts, as well as the two named locations in Fairfax County.
For that purpose, the report added, they established brothels in luxury apartment complexes, with monthly rents starting at $3,664, it was verified.
The modality they used was to provide plane tickets and local transportation “to and from the apartments.” The defendants also encouraged women, mainly Asian women, to travel to brothels in Massachusetts and Virginia to engage in prostitution, authorities said at a weekend news conference in Boston. They even allowed the women to spend the night in the apartments, so that they did not have to find other accommodation.
Prosecutors explained that the defendants created two websites that "purported to advertise nude Asian models for professional photography at luxury studios," but the sites were actually "fronts" for their illicit prostitution business, according to court documents. They also used local phone numbers to contact verified clients, sending text messages with menus of services and directions to the brothel they selected.
The charging documents also noted that customers at those locations included "elected officials, pharmaceutical and high-tech executives, doctors, military officers, government contractors holding security clearances, professors, lawyers, scientists and accountants, among others."
All potential clients were required to fill out a form and provide full names, email address, phone number, employer and a reference, if they had one, according to authorities.
Prices ranged from $350 to more than $600 per hour, depending on the services desired by the client, who had to pay in cash.
The investigation into this case, as well as the clients' participation in the contract sex plan "remains active and ongoing," the prosecutor's office said in its statement.
