The US Attorney in Massachusetts is charging three men with sex trafficking from locations around Boston and around the greater Washington, D.C. area. Han Lee, 41, and Junmyung Lee, 30, who live near Boston and James Lee, 68, of Torrance, California, were arrested Wednesday.
Documents unsealed Wednesday show investigators caught on tape dozens of clients coming into rented apartments that federal officials describe as a high-end brothel. Among the clients are politicians, tech and pharmaceutical executives, doctors, professors, lawyers, scientists and accountants.
The client list also included military officers and government contractors that have security clearances. They paid between $350 to $600 an hour for services, dating back to at least July 2020. The brothels were run through websites that required clients to provide names, email addresses and other personal details, such as employers and references. Some clients signed up for a monthly membership.
At least 20 of the people who paid for sex have already been interviewed as part of the investigation, while investigators estimate that hundreds of clients have yet to be identified. Court documents include a photo of a text exchange that includes a list of the services provided with a pay scale. The sex workers were mainly Asian women, who operated out of several rented locations in Cambridge and Watertown, Mass., as well as in Fairfax and Tysons, Va.
As of Thursday, no clients have been arrested. Joshua Levy, acting U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts, says the investigation into the sex buyers is active and ongoing.
