Editor-DN
An American woman has pleaded guilty to running a high-profile sex racket in the greater Boston area and Washington suburbs that catered to politicians, military officers, lawyers and corporate executives.
Han Lee, 42, appeared in federal court in Boston on Friday to plead guilty to charges that he “enticed, enticed and enticed” primarily Asian women to move to Massachusetts and Virginia, prosecutors said. conspired to commit prostitution and money laundering.
The Massachusetts resident was arrested and charged in November last year along with Junmyung Lee, 31, and James Lee, 69. He was later indicted by a federal grand jury in February on charges of running a prostitution racket.
Han Li faces up to 25 years in prison when he is sentenced in December. She told the judge that while she was running an illegal prostitution business, she did not force any women to have sex.
How did they run the sex racket?
According to prosecutors, since at least July 2020, Han Lee operated an interstate prostitution network with multiple locations in Cambridge and Watertown, Massachusetts, and Fairfax and Tysons, Virginia.
Prosecutors said she established the infrastructure for brothels in several states with the purpose of “enticing women — primarily Asian women — to travel to Massachusetts and Virginia to engage in prostitution, To motivate and persuade”.
It is further alleged that Han Li and his accomplices coordinated the women’s airline travel and transportation and allowed them to spend the night in cabins so that they would not have to find accommodation elsewhere. , so they entice women to participate in their prostitution networks.
Prosecutors said that “to protect and maintain the confidentiality of the business and to ensure that the women did not draw attention to the prostitution operation within the apartment buildings, Han Li and, allegedly, her accomplices The defendants established house rules for women during their stay”. .
Sexual services charge $350 to $600.
Han Li charged sex buyers $350 to $600 an hour, depending on the services, and only took cash.
He allegedly advertised his prostitution network and offered to meet women through two websites. Both websites purport to advertise nude models for professional photography at high-end studios as a front for prostitution offered through placements.
It is further alleged that Han Li maintained the phone numbers of local brothels that he used to communicate with verified customers and schedule appointments via text messages. send users a “menu” of options available on the room, including women and sex services available and hourly rates; and to direct users to the location of the room where they engaged in commercial sex with women.
To hide the prostitution network’s income, Han Li deposited millions of dollars in cash into personal and third-party bank accounts and peer-to-peer transfers, prosecutors said.
It is also alleged that they regularly used millions of dollars in cash from the prostitution business to purchase money orders (under amounts that would trigger reporting and identification requirements) funds. To hide the sources of
The money orders were then used to pay rent and utilities at the cottages in Massachusetts and Virginia, prosecutors said.
Its clients have not yet been identified, but officials estimate that the network’s customer base was in the hundreds and included elected officials, pharmaceutical and technology executives, doctors, military officers, professors, lawyers, business executives, Scientists and accountants were involved.
