Since at least July 2020, prosecutors allege that Han Lee, 41, James Lee, 68, and Junmyung Lee, 30, ran brothels that advertised primarily Asian women under the guise that they were nude models selling their services to professional photographers. The three were charged with conspiracy to coerce and entice to travel to engage in illegal sexual activity.

The brothels’ clients, which prosecutors allege could number in the hundreds, also included tech and pharmaceutical executives, doctors, professors, lawyers, scientists and accountants, according to court filings, which did not name any of the alleged clients. “Pick a profession; they’re probably represented in this case,” said acting U.S. attorney for Massachusetts Joshua Levy at a news conference Wednesday. “They are the men who fueled this commercial sex ring.”

The clients, an affidavit alleges, paid the defendants as much as $600 to engage in sexual activities with women whose nude or semi-nude pictures, height, weight and other identifying features were advertised on two purported modeling websites. The women would meet their customers at one of nine locations, where monthly rent was as high as $3,664, according to the affidavit. The brothels were located in Cambridge and Watertown, Mass., and Fairfax and Tysons, Va., the affidavit stated.

The allegations mirror a sex service that for 13 years catered to Washington’s political elite, including a sitting senator. Known as the D.C. Madam, Deborah Jeane Palfrey was convicted of running that operation in 2008. Records of her ring included the names of 815 clients, and in 2016, Palfrey’s former lawyer said her phone records “could be relevant” to the presidential election. A judge later blocked the release of those records.

  • breakingcups@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    31
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    1 year ago

    Legalize sex work, with permits and thorough audits. Focus law enforcement on human trafficking and pimping.

    • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      9
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      Amen, brother! Sex work is work and sex workers should get the protections all workers deserve, not persecution and oppression!

  • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    13
    ·
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    Kidding aside, as long as everyone participated consensually and the owners weren’t exploiting the workers, I don’t see how there’s anything wrong with it 🤷

  • Potatos_are_not_friends@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    12
    ·
    1 year ago

    What are these numbers? This is “high-end”?

    The clients, an affidavit alleges, paid the defendants as much as $600 to engage in sexual activities with women whose nude or semi-nude pictures, height, weight and other identifying features were advertised on two purported modeling websites.

    As much as $600? That seems cheap!

    Because I’ve hired a DJs for like $500 a session once and honestly, I could have just got a naked lady with a Spotify account.

    The women would meet their customers at one of nine locations, where monthly rent was as high as $3,664, according to the affidavit

    Uh so average city rent? We are hitting like 6k a month in some cities 😭

    • Fades@lemmy.worldOP
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      Yeah I said the same thing, I think that what is happening here is they have varying degrees of deniability while still getting their income. You pay a small cover that is in line with the photographer angle, they are then instructed to secure a place somewhere and take a cut, still not much cash tho surely there are other stipulations and expectations

      The other thing to remember is this: our representatives are for sale and they don’t require much to betray the will of those they are supposed to represent. Just look at some of the lobbying $$ that gets passed around, it’s usually not much relatively speaking.

      Doesn’t surprise me that they fuck with cheap brothels too