DOJ arrests three allegedly behind 'high-end brothels' with 'elected officials' as clients: report
As part of an ongoing probe that began in 2020, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) arrested and charged three defendants Wednesday who "allegedly leased apartments with rents as high as $3,664 a month, furnished them and maintained them as brothels" in Massachusetts and Northern Virginia, NBC News reports.
Per the report, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Massachusetts' announcement, the "high-end brothels" in Cambridge and Watertown, Massachusetts and Fairfax and Tysons, Virginia, with "primarily with Asian women in both states," maintained "clients allegedly included military officers and elected officials."
The news outlet reports a case agent said in court documents, "These customers spanned a wide array of different professional disciplines. 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."
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Additionally, NBC notes, "The affidavit says the agent believes there are potentially 'hundreds of yet to be identified customers,'" but "The document also specified that the agent was not naming the individuals identified by investigators so far — but not for the purpose of protecting them."
The charges for defendants "Han Lee, 41, of Cambridge, Mass.; Junmyung Lee, 30, of Dedham, Mass.; and James Lee, 68, of Torrance, Calif.," according to the report, "were charged with conspiracy to coerce and entice to travel to engage in illegal sexual activity."
NBC reports the DOJ confirms "the charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000."
NBC News' full report is available at this link.
