In a recent development, federal authorities have made significant headway in dismantling a prominent prostitution network that allegedly catered to high-profile clients, including politicians and military officers. According to a report from NBC News, three individuals have been arrested and charged with operating "high-end brothels" in the Boston area and Northern Virginia. The arrests were announced by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Massachusetts on Wednesday.

The charges stem from a multiyear investigation that commenced in the summer of 2020 and is still ongoing. According to prosecutors, the Massachusetts brothels were located in Cambridge and Watertown, while the Virginia locations were in Fairfax and Tysons. The brothels primarily employed Asian women, as revealed in court documents.

The defendants in the case are listed as Han Lee, 41, of Cambridge, Mass.; Junmyung Lee, 30, of Dedham, Mass.; and James Lee, 68, of Torrance, Calif. They have all been charged with conspiracy to coerce and entice others to travel for the purpose of illegal sexual activity.

If convicted, the defendants could face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000, as detailed by the Justice Department.

The investigation, led by Homeland Security Investigations, employed various methods to identify customers associated with the network, including surveillance, phone records, customer interviews, and other investigative techniques. Court documents state that the customers encompassed individuals from diverse professional backgrounds, such as politicians, pharmaceutical executives, doctors, military officers, government contractors with security clearances, professors, lawyers, business executives, technology company executives, scientists, accountants, retail employees, and students. The investigating case agent indicated that there may be "hundreds of yet to be identified customers."

According to the court documents, the defendants would lease apartments, furnishing them and operating them as brothels. They were also allegedly involved in coordinating the airline travel and transportation of the sex workers. The defendants' financial activities were carefully managed to avoid detection, including using money orders to circumvent anti-money laundering and Bank Secrecy Act alerts.

The operation reportedly used websites in the Boston area and Northern Virginia to advertise appointments with the women, disguising the illicit activities as professional photography sessions featuring nude Asian models. Prospective clients were required to undergo a verification process that involved providing personal details such as their name, email address, phone number, employer, and references. The defendants charged customers between approximately $350 and upwards of $600 per hour, and payments were made exclusively in cash.

Since the investigation commenced, agents have interviewed around 20 customers in connection with the probe. However, the court documents emphasized that investigators are still actively pursuing the involvement of other individuals and did not disclose the names of those identified thus far to preserve the integrity of the ongoing investigation.

While the lawyer for Han Lee declined to comment, there has been no immediate response from the attorney representing Junmyung Lee. Notably, court documents did not list a lawyer for James Lee.

As this case continues to unfold, federal authorities are determined to bring to justice all those involved in this alleged prostitution network, including both the operators and the high-profile clients who frequented these establishments.