3 charged with operating 'high-end' brothel network in Virginia, DOJ says
High-end brothel network busted in Virginia
Security concerns are being raised after the Department of Justice announced three people have been arrested and charged for operating a network of brothels, including two in Virginia. Some of their customers allegedly include elected officials, military officers and government contractors. FOX 5's Tisha Lewis has all the details from McLean.
FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. - A high-end brothel network that reportedly flew sex workers in from across the country and put them up in luxury apartments in Virginia, and even required buyers to provide their employer information and references, was busted by the Department of Justice.
According to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts, where the sex ring was also operating, three individuals have been charged for their involvement in what the FBI calls a sophisticated network of brothels.
The defendants are 41-year-old Han Lee, 68-year-old James Lee and 30-year-old Junmyung Lee.
An affidavit states that the sex workers were being housed in two locations on the East Coast: the Cambridge and Watertown area in Massachusetts and the Fairfax and Tysons area in Virginia.
The two Virginia buildings that the sex ring was using as brothels were the Avalon Mosaic Apartments in Fairfax and Hanover Tysons luxury apartments in Tysons where the rent reached over $3,600.
The DOJ says its investigation into the sex ring began in July 2020 when investigators discovered posts on two websites that advertised appointments with Asian women in either greater Boston or eastern Virginia.
Both websites claimed to offer Asian models who would pose nude for professional photography shoots at upscale studios and would allow "clients" to set up appointments with women listed on their websites.
The women’s height, weight and bust size were advertised along with nude or semi-nude photos of them. According to the affidavit, the websites were updated frequently with "coming soon" or "open" to show which women were available at any given time.
Although one of the sites claimed it was "expressly not a site that in any way solicits, encourages, nor sanctions any sexual activity" and the other claimed "[t]his site does not promote prostitution nor is this advertisement or any content therein an offer for prostitution," the DOJ said both sites were actively promoting and advertising prostitution.
The DOJ alleges that the women were flown from city to city within the prostitution network and the clients included politicians, high-tech and pharmaceutical executives, doctors, military officers, government contractors who possess security clearances, professors, lawyers, scientists and accountants.
The buyers allegedly had to complete a form providing their full names, email address, phone number, employer and references if they had one to be eligible for an appointment, according to the charging documents.
After an appointment was made, a "menu" of options would be provided via text message with details on the women and sexual services available and the hourly rate, which ranged anywhere from $250 to upwards of $800, the affidavit says.
The clients paid in cash and the defendants allegedly deposited hundreds of thousands of dollars into personal bank accounts.
The DOJ says they often funneled their profits in money orders, which could then be used to rent and utilities at the apartments, according to court documents.
Officials say the investigation into the involvement of sex buyers is active and ongoing and more could be charged.