The manager of a high-end brothel network in Boston and eastern Virginia has been sentenced to four years in federal prison. Han Lee, aged 42, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Julia E. Kobick. Following her prison term, Lee will serve one year of supervised release and must forfeit $5,418,572. Restitution will be determined later.
Lee pleaded guilty in September 2024 to charges of conspiracy related to prostitution and money laundering. She was arrested alongside co-defendants Junmyung Lee and James Lee in November 2023; all were indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2024.
U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley stated: “Han Lee didn’t just recruit women to sell their bodies for sex – she built a criminal enterprise designed to thrive in the shadows, evading law enforcement while profiting off her victims like commodities.”
Michael J. Krol of Homeland Security Investigations emphasized the elaborate nature of the scheme: “Han Lee and her co-conspirators crafted an elaborate scheme to set up an interstate commercial sex network and to hide their activity by laundering the proceeds."
From July 2020 onward, Han Lee operated multiple brothels across Massachusetts and Virginia, enticing primarily Asian women into prostitution through sophisticated methods including renting high-end apartments as brothel locations.
The defendants used websites bostontopten10.com and browneyesgirlsva.blog as fronts for advertising their services under the guise of professional photography sessions. They also implemented a client verification process aimed at screening out law enforcement officers.
To further maintain secrecy, local phone numbers were used for communication with verified customers about appointments and available services at premium prices ranging from $350 to over $600 per hour.
Revenue from this operation exceeded $5.6 million from approximately 9,450 transactions with clients. To obscure these earnings' origins, cash proceeds were deposited into personal accounts or used for money orders that paid expenses associated with running the brothels.
Co-defendant Junmyung Lee is scheduled for sentencing on April 18, 2025, after pleading guilty in October 2024. James Lee pleaded guilty in February 2025 and faces sentencing on May 28, 2025.
For further inquiries or information regarding this case contact USAMA.VictimAssistance@usdoj.gov.
This announcement involved cooperation among various law enforcement agencies including the U.S. Postal Service and Middlesex District Attorney’s Office with prosecution led by Assistant U.S Attorneys Lindsey E. Weinstein and Raquelle Kaye.