Authorities seek charges against 28 alleged clients in high-end brothel ring

Authorities are seeking state criminal charges against 28 people accused of buying sex from a “high-end brothel network” that allegedly operated out of Greater Boston and the Washington, D.C. suburbs, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

On Monday, a Homeland Security Investigations task force officer with the Cambridge Police Department submitted applications to Cambridge District Court for criminal complaints against the alleged buyers, acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy said in a statement. 

Levy did not identify any of the alleged johns, noting that the complaints are subject to probable cause hearings to determine whether there is enough evidence to issue criminal charges. However, the federal prosecutor said last month that the commercial sex ring catered to a “wealthy and well-connected clientele” that included politicians, military officers, lawyers, and tech and pharmaceutical executives.

“Pick a profession; they’re probably represented in this case,” Levy said during a Nov. 8 news conference. “They are the men who fueled this commercial sex ring.”

If Cambridge District Court issues criminal charges against the alleged sex buyers, the cases will be referred to the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office, Levy explained Monday. He also suggested that more people accused of buying sex from the brothels may face criminal charges down the line. 

The case made national headlines last month after federal officials announced the arrests of three people accused of operating a multi-state brothel ring out of apartments in Cambridge and Watertown, as well as in Fairfax and Tysons, Virginia. 

According to prosecutors, Han “Hana” Lee, 41, of Cambridge, was the commercial sex ring’s suspected ringleader. She is charged alongside Junmyung Lee, 30, of Dedham, and James Lee, 68, of Torrance, Calif. with violating the Mann Act, a federal law that targets interstate prostitution. 

All three are being held pending trial. 

Abby Patkin

Staff Writer

Abby Patkin is a general assignment news reporter whose work touches on public transit, crime, health, and everything in between.

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