The booker of elite brothels in Massachusetts pleaded guilty

BOSTON (WWLP) – A guilty plea has been entered for one of the men accused in connection with high-end brothels in the Boston and Virginia area.

The case of an elite brothel in Massachusetts is headed to a federal grand jury

At least since July 2020, three suspects, 41-year-old Han Lee of Cambridge, aged 68 James Lee Torrance, California, and the 31-year-old Junmyung Lee of Dedham, allegedly ran an interstate prostitution ring with several brothels in Cambridge and Watertown and convinced women, mostly Asian, to travel to Massachusetts to work as prostitutes.

It is also alleged that the suspects rented luxury apartments and turned them into brothels. The rent for some of these places was as high as $3,664 a month. Prostituted women stayed in these brothels so they didn’t have to look for a place to stay, encouraging women to engage in sex.

The suspects used two websites to promote their prostitution ring in both Massachusetts and Virginia, advertising the women they employed. Customers will be required to provide their full name, email address, phone number, employer and reference, if applicable. The suspects used text messages to communicate with customers and sent a “menu” of available options at brothels, including hourly fees and sexual services.

According to court documents, sex buyers would pay between $350 and $600 an hour for services and pay in cash. The defendants concealed the income by depositing hundreds of thousands of dollars into their personal bank accounts and peer-to-peer transfers. The defendants also allegedly purchased wire transfers to hide the source of the funds and used them to pay rent and utilities.

A month after their arrest, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that charges would also be filed against customers allegedly involved in the brothel. A total of 28 customer complaints were lodged with Cambridge District Court. U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy previously said the list of potential clients included politicians, professors, military officers and pharmaceutical company executives.

On Wednesday the 31st Junmyung Lee of Dedham, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to induce, induce, entice and cause one or more persons to travel in interstate or foreign commerce to engage in prostitution and one count of money laundering conspiracy.

Lee served primarily as a “booker” for an interstate prostitution ring, earning between $6,000 and $8,000 a month from Han Lee. Part of the cash payments went towards the purchase of a Corvette.

He was accused of vetting potential buyers, setting up meetings and bringing women to the brothers. At least two cell phones contained more than 2,800 verified clients of the prostitution business.

Lee is scheduled to be sentenced on February 12. Lee was one of two other people indicted earlier this year in the case. The list of prospective clients remains closed.

Local news headlines

WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated and local programming for western Massachusetts. See 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4pm on WWLP.com.

Watch WWLP for breaking news, weather, sports and video streaming.