The ringleader of a multi-state prostitution network, Han Lee, has been sentenced to a four-year prison term. After pleading guilty to charges including conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking and money laundering, the 42-year-old from Cambridge, MA, will also face a year of supervised release post-incarceration, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office. The court further ordered Lee to forfeit over $5.4 million—the sum she amassed from the illicit operation.
Between July 2020 and their arrest in November 2023, Han Lee and her accomplices ran brothels across Massachusetts and Virginia. They used upscale apartments to attract and entice women, mainly of Asian descent, into their trade. Operating under the guise of modeling websites, they would screen potential clients to keep law enforcement at bay. An intricate web was woven, one that didn't just evade the law, but built profit from the exploitation of vulnerable individuals. "Han Lee didn't just recruit women to sell their bodies for sex – she built a criminal enterprise designed to thrive in the shadows," United States Attorney Leah B. Foley stated in the press release.
Han Lee’s commercial sex empire relied on websites like bostontopten10.com and browneyesgirlsva.blog, which masked their true purpose behind the façade of professional photography services for nude models. Han Lee's operation raked in a staggering $5.6 million from around 9,450 scheduled appointments. This network was more than just a series of rendezvous; it was an enterprise, complete with a "menu" of services and women, offering arrangements for $350 to $600 per hour. To hide the financial trail, structured payments below reporting thresholds were made for expenses, thus laundering the money earned from this underground business.
The conviction of Han Lee is part of a broader effort to clamp down on such criminal networks. Her co-defendants, Junmyung Lee and James Lee, also pleaded guilty and are scheduled for sentencing later this year, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office. For those seeking further information or wishing to provide assistance in the case, contact has been directed to [email protected]. With agencies like Homeland Security Investigations and local police departments coordinating their efforts, the message is clear: the justice system will not tolerate exploitation and will take decisive action against those who perpetuate it.
