In Boston, a Massachusetts woman has been sentenced to four years in prison for her role in operating a high-end brothel network boasting affluent and influential clientele, spanning across Massachusetts and the suburbs of Washington, D.C. The network reportedly generated millions in revenue. The woman, Han Lee, was indicted last year alongside two others, charged with conspiracy to entice individuals into traveling across state and international lines for prostitution and money laundering.
The network, documented in court records, accrued millions of dollars annually, with clients paying several hundred dollars per hour for services. Another defendant, Junmyung Lee from Dedham, Massachusetts, pled guilty in October and awaits sentencing next month. James Lee from Torrance, California, who is said to have rented apartments for the operation, also pled guilty last month to his involvement and to fraudulently obtaining nearly $600,000 in pandemic relief funds. He, too, is scheduled to be sentenced shortly.
U.S. District Judge Julia Kobick remarked, “You ran a highly profitable business that involved recruiting women across the country to Massachusetts and Virginia to sell their bodies for sex,” in her address to Han Lee. She supported the government’s stance that the crime was not without victims.
Prosecutors had sought a six-year imprisonment and three-year supervised release for Lee, alleging she managed one of the most successful prostitution networks on the East Coast. The operation allegedly facilitated around 10,000 commercial sex encounters in her brothels, netting Lee over $5 million over four years.
Lee’s defense attorney, Scott Lauer, asked for leniency on the grounds of Lee’s impoverished upbringing in South Korea and an abusive father who drank excessively. Having come to the U.S., she became a sex worker in various states before setting up her network in Massachusetts, where she remained active in the industry. The defense argued the sex workers were not coerced and retained up to 70% of their earnings. Clients were heavily vetted to minimize danger, and travel documents were not withheld from the workers.
While acknowledging that Lee did not mistreat her workers, Assistant United States Attorney Lindsey Weinstein argued this did not mitigate her recruitment of women into a hazardous lifestyle, often confining them to unfamiliar cities and apartments for extensive hours. “This was a business, a lifestyle she was personally involved in. The fact she decided to further harm onto others is pretty significant here,” Weinstein noted.
Addressing the court while dressed in an orange jumpsuit and speaking through an interpreter, Lee expressed remorse, stating she only intended to support the women, many of whom were escaping domestic violence or lacked formal education. “I heard all their stories and tried to help them,” she explained.
Authorities stated that the prostitution ring catered to an elite client base, including politicians, executives, military officers, lawyers, professors, and others of high social standing. As a consequence, nearly 30 buyers are scheduled to appear in court in Cambridge this month following last year’s ruling for public hearings by the state’s highest court. The first group made their court appearance last week, with another set to appear soon.
Investigators noted that the women involved in the brothels were recognized as victims and neither identified nor criminally charged. Han Lee operated this prostitution network from 2020 until it was disbanded in November 2023.
Authorities articulated that misleading websites promoted services under the guise of professional photography and nude modeling. The operation leased upscale apartments as brothels in Massachusetts cities like Watertown and Cambridge, and in Virginian locations like Tysons and Fairfax. Part of the allure and exclusivity involved a thorough verification process on these websites, requiring potential clients to provide extensive personal information before bookings were considered.