Defendants in Mass. sex ring catering to prominent clientele seeking plea agreements

BOSTON — Three people at the center of a commercial sex ring in Massachusetts and Virginia that authorities said catered to “wealthy and well-connected clientele” are seeking plea agreements, court filings show.

Authorities in November arrested Han “Hana” Lee, 41, of Cambridge; James Lee, 68, of Torrance, California, and Junmyung Lee, 30, of Dedham, who are all accused of running a “sophisticated” commercial sex network in Watertown, Cambridge, and in Virginia, where buyers paid up to $600 per hour for a wide array of advertised sex acts.

All three were indicted by a federal grand jury 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.

“The parties have engaged in plea discussions,” U.S. Magistrate Judge David Hennessy wrote in a report filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Boston.

All three defendants were arraigned in person on Feb. 6. Since then, Hennessy wrote, federal prosecutors “produced discovery on March 5 and May 30, 2024″ that is described “as voluminous and intends to produce further discovery, such as forensic searches of some electronic devices not already completed, as such discovery becomes available.”

A trial of all three defendants would require up to 10 days, wrote Hennessy. A status conference is scheduled for July 18 in Worcester.

Attorneys for the alleged sex ring clients, only identified as “John Doe #1-17″ to date in court documents, have pushed to keep the court hearings private.

Elected officials, doctors, lawyers, professors, accountants, and military officers were reportedly among a group of “high-end” clients who paid for the illegal sex services at various locations in the Bay State and in Virginia.

A Cambridge police detective on Dec. 18, 2023 filed applications for criminal complaint against 28 people for sexual conduct with another person for a fee.

No names on the client list will be released until probable cause has been found, officials have said.

It was unclear Thursday when, or if, public court hearings would be held.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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