South Korean national who helped orchestrate an elaborate high-end sex ring in the suburbs of Boston and Washington DC will serve prison time and faces deportation

Junmyung Lee, 32, who was living in Dedham, Massachusetts was the appointment ‘booker’ who vetted and scheduled thousands of sex-seeking clients

Clientele included high-profile politicians, CEOs, scientists and defense contractors 

From January 2022 to November 2023, Junmyung conspired alongside Han Lee, 42, and James Lee, 69, to run the illicit interstate sex network – estimated to have earned over $5.6million

In Oct. 2024, Junmyung Lee pled guilty to conspiracy to persuade, induce, entice and coerce one or more individuals to travel in interstate or foreign commerce to engage in prostitution and money laundering conspiracy

He was sentenced to one year in prison, followed by a year of supervised release after which he ‘is subject to deportation’

Following his plea to illegally operating a string of high end brothels in the Boston and Washington DC areas, South Korean national Junmyung Lee, [photo], 32, was sentenced to one year in prison, followed by a year of supervised release. After that, he faces deportation

A South Korean national who helped orchestrate an elaborate high-end sex ring in the suburbs of Boston and Washington DC has been sentenced to serve prison time after which he faces deportation. 
Among the trio of pimps who operated the illegal sex business, Junmyung Lee, 32, who was living in Dedham, Massachusetts was the appointment ‘booker’ who vetted and scheduled thousands of sex-seeking clients – including high-profile politicians, CEOs, scientists and defense contractors. 
Among the scores of patrons, 30 individuals currently facing misdemeanor charges for purchasing sex from the brothel network are scheduled to be arraigned in May.

Prosecutors said between Jan. 2022 to Nov. 2023, Junmyung Lee, seen [left], leaving court with his lawyer John Amabile, conspired with Han Lee, 42, and James Lee, 69, to run the illicit interstate network

Ad from one of the websites of the high end brothel ring run by South Korean nationals in the suburbs of Boston and Washington DC.

It is estimated that between January 2022 to November 2023, Junmyung conspired alongside Han Lee, 42, and James Lee, 69, to run the illicit interstate network, according to the US Attorney’s Office, arranging more than 9,000 “scheduled dates”with clients across the Greater Boston area and parts of Washington D.C.
Han Lee, then a 41-year-old woman, was named as the ringleader among the group of three that catered to wealthy and established men. All three brothel managers were arrested arrested in November 2023 and indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2024.
In October 2024, Junmyung Lee pled guilty to conspiracy to persuade, induce, entice and coerce one or more individuals to travel in interstate or foreign commerce to engage in prostitution and money laundering conspiracy in Boston US District Court.
Judge Julia Kobick sentenced him to one year in prison, followed by a year of supervised release. 
He was also ordered to fork over $200,000, which is equal to the amount of money he earned from the brothel ring.  
After serving his sentence, Junmyung Lee ‘is subject to deportation,’ the US Attorney’s Office revealed.

Junmyung Lee managed the books of the business, meticulously keeping a hand written schedule [image]. He also vetted high-profile clients

Ring leader Han Lee who was the first to plead guilty in federal court in September 2024, last month was sentenced to four years in prison and one year of supervised release after she gets out. The Cambridge, MA, resident was also ordered to forfeit all profit from the brothels and pay restitution to the victims.
The third defendant James Lee who has also pled guilty to the charges, is set to be sentenced in May. 
Han reportedly paid Junmyung $6,000 to $8,000 every month to screen and book customers to see prostitutes mainly in the Boston and eastern Virginia areas. 
The scheme generated more than $5.6 million in revenue from about 9,450 ‘sex dates’ scheduled by Junmyung Lee. He used at least two cell phones to connect with clients, each of with had more than 2,800 verified customers of the illegal operation. 
Another cell phone used for a Virginia brothel was never recovered, according to the US Attorney’s Office. 

Stacks of cash was included in list of evidence collected by investigators. Clients reportedly paid between $350 to $600 per hour, depending on what kind of services they booked  

Sex buyers reportedly paid about $350 to $600 per hour depending on what kind of experience they desired. 
The huge returns was laundered through money orders and third-party bank accounts. 
Aside from scheduling clients, Junmyung moved brothel workers to and from the airport.
Some of those women allegedly worked across various states on several occasions. 
The trio of pimps Junmyung Lee, Han Lee and James Lee rented luxury apartments to serve as brothel sites for the escorts to meet their clients. 

Junmyung’s co-conspirator James Lee [photo], 65, has pled guilty. His sentencing is scheduled for May 

 Cambridge Police Dept. Detective Michael J. Alpers, [left], and Lt. Jarred Cabral, [right], testified in court last month for the hearings of the accused sex buyers  

Junmyung Lee also helped transport women to and from the airport, with some women working at the brothel locations on multiple occasions and in multiple states, prosecutors said. At the direction of Han Lee, he also collected the cash proceeds from the various brothel locations, and then concealed proceeds through structured deposits into personal bank accounts.
In June 2022, Junmyung reportedly rented a Cambridge, Massachusetts, apartment under his own name. 
For compensation, Han paid him ‘a large cash payment of prostitution proceeds’ – which Junmyung used to by a flashy Corvette. The sports car was later introduced as evidence in the trial.
Along with the operator, all with the last name Lee, all non-related persons who aided in running or patronized the scandalous business, were called to court last month.
‘They are doctors, they are lawyers, they’re accountants, they are executives at high-tech companies, pharmaceutical companies, they’re military officers, government contractors, professors, scientists,’ US Attorney Joshua Levy said at the time of the bust, in November 2023. 
‘Pick a profession, they’re probably represented in this case. Business is booming, until today.’

‘Business is booming, until today’ said the US Attorney, adding that patrons are ‘doctors, lawyers, accountants, executives at high-tech companies, pharmaceutical companies, military officers, government contractors, professors, scientists’

Police said Cambridge City Councilor Paul Toner was said to have paid for sex at least 13 times and was linked to the ‘brothel phone’ more than 430 times over seven months.   
Mathew Fulton, who has ties to MIT, also traded cash for sex, according to Cambridge police. 
‘Fulton agreed with another that is user of the brothel phone to engage in commercial sex with an unidentified female with the stage name Tiki for 60 minutes for the price of $540,’ Cambridge Police Lt. Jarred Cabral said at a hearing last month. 
These men include prominent Boston doctor Dr. Mitchell Rubenstein of Chestnut Hill, who was placed on leave from his position as Executive Vice Chair for the Department of Dermatology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

The brothel operated websites showcasing the escorts [image]. According to the document, the ‘menu’ listed sexual services available, the hourly rate and the women available

Former Massachusetts General Hospital oncologist Dr. James Cusack is among the named patrons as well. Others named include Anurag Bajpayee, the CEO of billion-dollar wastewater treatment firm Gradient was also identified in court documents. 
Additionally, authorities claimed radiologist Jason Han paid for the one-hour ‘girlfriend experience’ that ‘blurs the boundaries between a financial transaction and a romantic relationship.’
Others named in the case are Mark Zhu, Kerry Wu, John Doran, David LaCava, Boya Zhou, Peter MacGillivray, Yihong Zou, Pablo Domingo Maceira, Jonathan Lanfear, Pinhao Chao and Patrick Walsh. 
Predictable fury erupted when those men tried to keep the hearings closed to the public in a bid to conceal their identities.
They claimed they had a right to privacy. All face misdemeanor charges and none of the men have been arrested.

There were protests outside Cambridge district court last month as advocates for sex workers argue indicting doxing the men can help shame them, serving as a warning to other potential offenders  

Investigators collected digital evidence about the brothel’s operations, including phones Junmyung used to connect with clientele. Each device had contacts of more than 2,800 verified customers

Junmyung Lee prosecutors said, bought a  Corvette [photo], with the proceeds of leasing an apartment to Han to use as a brothel

Anurag Bajpayee, [photo], the CEO of billion-dollar wastewater treatment firm Gradient was also identified in court documents as a sex buyer from the sex ring

Such crimes are normally dealt with in Massachusetts by ‘show-cause’ hearings, which are usually private, which has sparked anger over a lack of transparency.
Multiple media outlets challenged requests to hold the hearings in private, with Massachusetts’ State Supreme Court ultimately ruling they should be held in public.
Those accused face a charge of paying for sex, which is unlikely to result in jail time if they’re convicted.
But advocates for prostitutes argue doxing the men can help shame them, serving as a warning to others.
Protestors and advocates also believe this lowers the demand for sex workers, many of whom are trafficked.
The original affidavit in the case said the sex workers were advertised for commercial sex via two websites under the guise of professional nude photo shoots.
The affidavit also shows a text message sent from a phone related to the operation in Massachusetts which includes a ‘menu.’ 
According to the document, the ‘menu’ listed sexual services available, the hourly rate and the women available.
The term ‘BB’ is a term used in the prostitution industry to refer to unsafe sex, and that ‘GFE’ relates to a ‘Girlfriend Experience,’ according to an affidavit. 

Some established Massachusetts doctors [L-R], were also caught up in the scheme as sex-seeking clients 

Authorities claimed radiologist Jason Han [left], paid for the one-hour ‘girlfriend experience’, while Cambridge City Councilor Paul Toner [photo], allegedly paid for sex at least 13 times. Toner was linked to the ‘brothel phone’ more than 430 times during a seven-month span

A screengrab from one of the two websites promoting the sex ring’s offerings 

One of the websites was focused on the Boston area, and directed customers to numerous addresses, while another was aimed at areas in Virginia.
On the Boston website, the opening page shows a photograph of an Asian woman, with text saying: ‘Here to serve our wonderful Boston friends. Your character is in your writing.
‘Please Don’t Knock on the Door!! Be on time [sic] can’t guarantee your wasted time.’
The site also adds the height, weight and bust size of multiple Asian women who were available for appointments. According to the affidavit, the women shown on the site were frequently changed and information refreshed.
The group worked out of three apartments inside one building in Cambridge, Massachusetts, as well another one in Watertown. In Virginia, the ring operated out of two apartment buildings in the towns of Fairfax, and Tysons.