Police/Fire

Three Men Indicted for Running Prostitution Ring in Mass. and Virginia, Including Watertown

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The following announcement came from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Massachusetts:

Three individuals previously arrested and charged in November 2023 in connection with operating sophisticated high-end brothels in greater Boston and eastern Virginia have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston, Mass. 

The following individuals have each been indicted on one count of conspiracy to persuade, induce, entice, and coerce one or more individuals to travel in interstate or foreign commerce to engage in prostitution; and one count of money laundering conspiracy: 

Han Lee, a/k/a “Hana,” 41, of Cambridge, Mass.;

James Lee, 68, of Torrance, Calif.; and

Junmyung Lee, 30, of Dedham, Mass. 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. 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. 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. According to court documents, the defendants established house rules for the women during their stays in a given city to protect and maintain the secrecy of the business and ensure that the women did not draw attention to the prostitution work inside apartment buildings. 

The defendants allegedly advertised their prostitution network primarily on two websites – bostontopten10.com and browneyesgirlsva.blog – which offered appointments with women in either greater Boston or eastern Virginia, respectively.

Police/Fire

US Attorney Announces Arrest of 28 in Connection to Prostitution Ring that Used Apartments in Watertown

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Twenty-eight people have been charged for their involvement with the prostitution ring that used, among several locations, three apartments in Watertown, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy. The charges were filed in the Cambridge District Court, but no names have been released by the U.S. Attorney’s office. Along with the three apartments located at Arsenal Yards, the ring also used locations in other parts of Massachusetts, as well as Virginia and California. Levy released the following statement:

“Our office made it clear when we announced charges of a commercial sex ring case on Nov. 8, 2023, that the investigation was ongoing and that there would be accountability for the buyers who fuel the commercial sex industry.

Police/Fire

Three Busted in National Prostitution Ring That Used a High-End Apartment in Watertown

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Three men face charges in a federal bust of a prostitution ring that used an apartment in Watertown and allegedly included politicians, high-tech and pharmaceutical executives, professors, doctors and lawyers. The court filing lists one of the locations used for prostitution was located in the Blvd & Bond apartments located in Arsenal Yards. Other places used by the ring were located in Cambridge, Dedham, Virginia, and California. Han Lee, a/k/a “Hana,” 41, of Cambridge, Mass.; James Lee, 68, of Torrance, Calif.; and Junmyung Lee, 30, of Dedham, Mass., were arrested on charges of conspiracy to coerce and entice to travel to engage in illegal sexual activity, and face sentences of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The Watertown Police had no comment about the investigation.

Police/Fire

Watertown Man Pleads Guilty to Role in Multi-State Prostitution Ring

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The following piece was produced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston:

A Watertown man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston in connection with his role in a long-running interstate prostitution ring. 

Jineok Kim, 38, of Watertown, Mass., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to persuade, induce, entice, or coerce individuals to travel in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution and one count of conspiracy to engage in money laundering. Co-defendant Susan Bashir, a/k/a “Susan Redmon,” 41 of Stone Mountain, Ga., pleaded guilty on July 25, 2018 and is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 8, 2018. Co-defendant Kyung Song, 52, of Lexington, Mass. is scheduled to plead guilty on Aug.