3 people charged in running commercial sex ring indicted by federal grand jury

The three people who were arrested and charged in the fall for allegedly operating brothels have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced Friday.

Han Lee, of Cambridge; Junmyung Lee, of Dedham; and James Lee, of California were each indicted on one count of conspiracy for convincing "one or more individuals to travel in interstate or foreign commerce to engage in prostitution" and one count of money laundering.

The indictment claims the defendants operated a network for prostitution in multiple locations including Cambridge and Watertown, Massachusetts, as well as Fairfax and Tysons, Virginia since at least July 2020. Prosecutors wrote that the defendants allegedly established the network to persuade woman, mostly Asian women, to travel to these locations for prostitution.

The defendants allegedly coordinated transportation and housing for the women, "therefore enticing women to participate in their prostitution network," according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Acting U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Joshua Levy has previously said prosecutors are seeking criminal complaints against 28 people who allegedly purchased sex from this brothel network. The individuals have not yet been publicly identified.