A woman in the US, Han Lee, has pleaded guilty to operating a high-end sex racket in the greater Boston area and the suburbs of Washington, serving prominent clients, including politicians, military officers, lawyers, and corporate executives.
Lee, 42, appeared in a Boston federal court, admitting to conspiring to "persuade, induce, and entice" primarily Asian women to travel to Massachusetts and Virginia for prostitution. She was also charged with money laundering.
Along with her accomplices, Junmyung Lee, 31, and James Lee, 69, she was arrested in November last year. They were indicted by a federal grand jury in February for running the illegal prostitution network.
Facing up to 25 years in prison when sentenced in December, Lee acknowledged operating the prostitution business but claimed that the women were not forced into sex work.
How the Operation Worked
From July 2020, Han Lee and her team ran an interstate prostitution network with brothels in Cambridge and Watertown, Massachusetts, and Fairfax and Tysons, Virginia. They lured primarily Asian women to these locations, arranged travel and accommodations, and created "house rules" to maintain secrecy and avoid drawing attention.
The operation charged customers $350 to $600 per hour for services, accepting only cash. They promoted their network through websites, falsely advertising nude models for photography sessions, which served as a front for prostitution.
Money Laundering and Concealment
To hide the proceeds, Lee deposited hundreds of thousands of dollars into personal and third-party accounts, conducted peer-to-peer transfers, and used money orders to pay rent and utilities for the brothels.
While authorities estimate that the customer base included hundreds of individuals, ranging from elected officials to corporate executives, none of the clients have been publicly identified yet.
