The upscale apartments in the suburbs of Washington, DC, and Massachusetts were purportedly used to run the operation.
A top federal investigator on the case stated on Wednesday that the three people accused of operating brothels in Massachusetts and Washington, D.C., which allegedly catered to high-profile clients like military and political figures, made over a million dollars a year from their business.
As per a sworn statement provided to the U.S. The alleged ringleaders of the operation, James Lee of California, Han Lee, and Junmyung Lee of Massachusetts, made the substantial change while operating the service out of upscale apartments in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., and Massachusetts since 2020, according to the Department of Homeland Security’s District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
After breaking up the operation, the DOJ charged the three this month. If found guilty, they could receive maximum sentences of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and fines of up to $255,000.
Prosecutors claim that the brothels in the D.C. region accommodated a diverse range of consorts from different backgrounds and were located in apartment buildings in Fairfax and Tysons, Virginia. The defendants allegedly paid for the prostitutes’ airfares and modes of transportation in order to rent the apartments.
Additionally, they claimed that the defendants demanded a plethora of identifying information from the solicitors, including “full name, birth date, credit card information, employer information, and websites,” as well as a “reference if they have one,” and that they advertised the prostitution for fees ranging from $350 to $600.
“Some of these professional disciplines included, but are not limited to, politicians, pharmaceutical executives, doctors, military officers, government contractors that possess security clearances, professors, lawyers, business executives, technology company executives, scientists, accountants, retail employees, and students,” prosecutors stated.
“There are potentially hundreds of yet-to-be identified customers that may include other professional disciplines not included in the list above,” stated one investigator; however, the DOJ has not provided any additional information regarding the clientele.
Federal Raid Exposes Alleged ‘High-End Brothel’: Politicians and Military Officers Accused of Paying for Sex
A ‘high-end brothel network’ that resulted in three arrests on Wednesday allegedly had elected officials and military officers as clients.
According to a new indictment, authorities detained three people on suspicion of running a “high-end brothel network” that catered to military officers and elected officials and had been operating since 2020.
Han Lee, 41; James Lee, 68; and Junmyung Lee, 30, were reportedly arrested on Wednesday morning, according to federal prosecutors. They were allegedly running an “interstate prostitution network” that included several brothels in Cambridge and Watertown, Massachusetts, as well as Fairfax and Tysons, Virginia, which are located just outside of Washington, D.C.
Prosecutors claimed that the defendants advertised the prostitution network on two websites that offered appointments with women in Boston or Eastern Virginia and featured pictures of each woman that were both semi-naked and nude, along with her height, weight, and bust size.
Before moving further, any prospective “client” had to fill out a form on the websites with their name, phone number, email address, and employer as part of a purported verification process. Prosecutors claim that following confirmation and a phone conversation with the brothel, the sex buyers agreed to meet at a number of locations known as “target locations,” which are upscale apartments.
A sample of a “menu” text message sent by a number connected to one of the purported brothel websites was given by one of the twenty individuals that federal agents interviewed.
According to officials, the cost of the services provided by the brothel varied from $350 to as much as $600 per hour.
Prosecutors claim that the affluent brothel network catered to clients who were employed by government contractors with security clearances, scientists, accountants, physicians, politicians, teachers, physicians, military personnel, professors, lawyers, business executives, technology company executives, and students.
Since the customers’ actions are still being investigated, their names have not been disclosed.
Prosecutors believe one of the websites used in the operation was a “front” for prostitution, despite the fact it “purports to advertise nude models for professional photography at upscale studios.”
According to customer interviews conducted by federal agents, the website detailed the verification process for “first-time photographers,” which involved sending a “‘selfie’ photo and/or a driver’s license photo and submitting credit card information.”
The defendants allegedly used hundreds of thousands of dollars to purchase money orders below the reporting thresholds in order to conceal the source of funding. The indictment claims that the men concealed the proceeds of the prostitution network by “depositing hundreds of thousands of dollars of cash proceeds into their personal bank accounts and peer-to-peer transfers.”
The brothel locations used the money orders to cover their rent and utilities, which could total up to $3,664 in certain cases. Maximum sentences for Han Lee, James Lee, and Junmyung Lee are twenty years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
