Two Suspects in High-End Prostitution Ring Case to Appear in Federal Court in Worcester

Police – Accident – Death – Obituary News : Two suspects involved in a major investigation into a highly sophisticated and upscale brothel network operating in Massachusetts and Virginia are set to make an appearance in a federal courtroom in Worcester on Monday. Han Lee, aged 41, from Cambridge, and Junmyung Lee, aged 30, from Dedham, will attend a preliminary examination and detention hearing before Magistrate Judge David H. Hennessy. The court calendar confirms this information. The third suspect in the case has been identified as James Lee, aged 68, from California.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua Levy announced last Wednesday that this alleged ring facilitated the transportation of predominantly Asian women across the United States. The clientele of this illicit operation included politicians, corporate executives, doctors, military officers, lawyers, professors, and scientists. These high-profile individuals often paid a monthly membership fee in addition to rates ranging from $350 to $600 or even higher per hour for prostitution services.

Authorities estimate that the ring may have had hundreds of customers over the course of its operation. A list of apartments associated with the case can be found through the provided link.

As part of the ongoing detention process for James Lee, investigators have uncovered a network of 83 businesses associated with the suspect. Out of these entities, bank records for 15 businesses linked to James Lee and six others believed to be under his control have been analyzed. Additionally, investigators have identified another 68 businesses wherein James Lee was a primary source or recipient of funds.

During the execution of a search warrant at James Lee’s residence, evidence of at least three more business entities was discovered. Special Agent Zachary Mitlitsky of Homeland Security Investigations wrote in a document that he believes the high volume of activity in these accounts was intentional, serving to conceal and disguise the origin, source, ownership, and control of the funds flowing through them.

The businesses associated with this case operated in a non-traditional manner, deviating from the usual pattern of accepting payments from customers and making routine payments to vendors. Instead, investigators have found that more than $3.3 million has been circulated through many of these same entities since 2020.

The investigation has also revealed that the business accounts associated with the case received $550,633 in potential fraudulently obtained COVID-19 relief funds. The Small Business Administration collaborated with investigators to identify related loan applications.

During the search of James Lee’s residence, investigators discovered approximately $15,000 in cash, along with envelopes, ledgers, banking documents, and identification documents in multiple names.

Details of James Lee’s financial transactions and his eight international trips over the past seven years were presented as part of the argument supporting the government’s opinion that he poses a flight risk and should be detained until trial. Special Agent Mitlitsky expressed concern that there may be additional aliases, businesses, and financial accounts yet to be uncovered by law enforcement.

In the video below, the suspects can be seen appearing in Boston federal court.

With this expanded news article, we have provided more detail and depth to the original story, using SEO-optimized HTML headings and adhering to British English..