U.S. Attorney seeks charges against 28 accused of patronizing brothel ring in Mass.

Prosecutors are seeking criminal complaints against 28 people who allegedly purchased sex in a high-end brothel ring they say operated out of Watertown, Cambridge, and Virginia, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy.

In a statement, Levy's office said the Homeland Security Investigations Task Force Officer and Cambridge Police Department submitted applications for criminal complaints to Cambridge District Court.

"Our office made it clear when we announced charges of a commercial sex ring case on Nov. 8, 2023, that the investigation was ongoing and that there would be accountability for the buyers who fuel the commercial sex industry," Levy said in a statement.

The 28 people facing these accusations have not been named. In the release, Levy said the names will not be released until criminal charges were issued.

Three people earlier were charged with operating the ring and now await trial. Prosecutors claimed the network of brothels catered to high-powered clientele. Federal investigators said among the spaces used for the alleged ring were three apartments in Watertown’s Arsenal Yards, another in North Cambridge and two others in eastern Virginia.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for Massachusetts said it is working with authorities in Virginia to refer anyone who purchased sex in that state to the case.

With reporting from The Associated Press.