It’s the oldest profession in the world, and in Washington, D.C. and Massachusetts, it’s worth an “astounding amount of money” to politicians and military leaders who are allegedly willing to pay the price of entry.
Three individuals were charged with running brothels out of swanky apartments in the suburbs of D.C. and Massachusetts since 2020, Fox News Digital reports, and their alleged high-profile clients ponied up more than a million dollars.
The alleged ringleaders of the operation, Californian James Lee and Han Lee, and Junmyung Lee of Massachusetts kept “impeccable” records of the brothels’ take, an affidavit submitted to the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts by the Department of Homeland Security revealed.
(Video: YouTube)
Han Lee is the alleged head of the operation, according to the affidavit.
“I do not believe that HAN has legitimate employment but I do believe she has made an astounding amount of money running her prostitution business over the last several years,” wrote DHS Special Agent Zachary Mitlitsky.
“The affidavit added that two of Han Lee’s bank accounts brought in $965,000, mostly in cash, from December 2019 to October 2023, and that she is believed to have access to other foreign accounts,” Fox News Digital reports.
The trio was charged by the DOJ earlier this month and face up to 20 years behind bars, three years of supervised release, and up to $250,000 in fines if convicted.
“According to the charging documents, from at least July 2020, the defendants operated an interstate prostitution network with multiple brothels in Cambridge and Watertown, Mass., as well as in Fairfax and Tysons, Va.,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Massachusetts said in a statement following the arrests. “It is alleged that the defendants collectively established the infrastructure for brothels in multiple states which they used to persuade, induce and entice women – primarily Asian women – to travel to Massachusetts and Virginia to engage in prostitution.”
“Specifically, the defendants allegedly rented high-end apartment complexes as brothel locations, which they furnished and regularly maintained. The monthly rent for the brothel locations were as high as $3,664,” the statement continued. “It is further alleged that the defendants coordinated the women’s airline travel and transportation and permitted women to stay overnight in the brothel locations so they did not have to find lodging elsewhere, therefore enticing women to participate in their prostitution network.”
The consorts commanded going rates between $350 and $600, according to the defendants’ online advertisements.
Security was strict, with would-be “johns” having to provide a slew of identifying information “not limited to, full name, birth date, credit card information, employer information, and websites.”
A “reference” was welcomed “if they have one,” prosecutors said.
“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,” prosecutors stated.
According to one investigator, “there are potentially hundreds of yet to be identified customers that may include other professional disciplines not included in the list above.” The DOJ has declined to provide any additional details on the clientele, the investigator added.
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Melissa Fine is the former executive editor of Casino Player, Strictly Slots, and Poker
Digest magazines. She is a UCLA graduate, news junkie, and dedicated Stargate SG-
1 fan. Melissa currently lives with her dog and two cats in a tiny town in the Sierra
Nevada foothills.
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