Judge orders two defendants in high-end brothel case to be detained

Two individuals accused of running brothels in Boston and Virginia will remain behind bars for the time being, a magistrate judge ruled Wednesday following a detention hearing.

Han Lee, the alleged leader of the high-end brothel network, and Junmyung Lee, who investigators say was employed by Han Lee, both agreed to a detention motion from prosecutors but could still seek release at a later date.

In their memo arguing for the defendants to be detained, prosecutors cited the lead Homeland Security Investigations agent on this case, who described large sums of money connected to the brothels, the detailed ledgers Han Lee kept and the way Han Lee instructed sex workers who rotated in and out of several apartments.

Clients of the high-end brothels have not been named but included politicians, business executives, doctors, military members and government contractors with security clearances, according to investigators.

A detention hearing for a third individual arrested as part of the alleged scheme, James Lee, has not yet been scheduled. The three individuals have been charged with conspiring to persuade, induce, entice and coerce one or more individuals to travel in interstate or foreign commerce to engage in prostitution.

According to the memo from prosecutors, Han Lee concealed more than $1 million dollars in proceeds from the brothel network she ran through money orders, cash deposits and account transfers.

In her Cambridge apartment, investigators said they found $22,000 in cash along with multiple laptops and sixteen cell phones as well as “bulk quantities” of condoms, lingerie and pregnancy testing kits – all allegedly used for the brothel business.

“I believe that Han’s financial and business record keeping was impeccable,” the Homeland Security investigator wrote in an affidavit. 

The ledgers, according…