High-end brothels catering to politicians, military busted
- The alleged brothels operated in the Boston area and Virginia
- Three defendants face prostitution conspiracy charges
- Politicians, government contractors and tech execs were among clients
BOSTON (NewsNation) — An alleged high-end brothel that catered to elected officials, tech executives and government contractors in Boston and Virginia was busted by federal authorities, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Han Lee of Cambridge, Massachusetts; James Lee of Torrance, California; and Junmyung Lee of Dedham, Massachusetts, are accused of operating the interstate prostitution network with brothels in Cambridge and Watertown, Massachusetts, as well as in Fairfax and Tysons, Virginia.
The three defendants have been charged with conspiracy to coerce and entice to travel to engage in illegal sexual activity, according to the Justice Department.
The accused allegedly rented high-end apartment complexes with rents as high as $3,660 as brothel locations. They’re also accused of coordinating the women’s airline travel and transportation.
The defendants allegedly advertised their network on two websites offering appointments with women in greater Boston or eastern Virginia.
“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,” according to a news release from the Justice Department.
Sex buyers were charged anywhere between $350 and $600 per hour depending on services and paid in cash.
“Over the course of the investigation, a wide array of buyers were identified, including, but not limited to, politicians, high tech and pharmaceutical executives, doctors, military officers, government contractors that possess security clearances, professors, lawyers, scientists and accountants,” according to the Justice Department.
The investigation into suspected sex buyers is ongoing.