BOSTON, Mass. (WRIC) — A “booker” for a high-end brothel network in Virginia and Massachusetts has pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges and could spend decades in prison.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), 31-year-old Junmyung Lee of Massachusetts — who served as the “booker,” or scheduler, for an interstate prostitution network that operates high-end brothels in Boston and eastern Virginia — pleaded guilty to two related charges on Wednesday, Oct. 30 in U.S. District Court in Boston.
Those charges included one count of money laundering conspiracy and one count of conspiracy to persuade, induce, entice and coerce one or more individuals to travel in interstate or foreign commerce to engage in prostitution.
In Nov. 2023, Junmyung Lee was arrested and charged alongside co-defendants 42-year-old Han Lee of Massachusetts and 69-year-old James Lee of California. According to the DOJ, the defendants were later indicted by a federal grand jury in February. Han Lee pled guilty on Sept. 27 and is scheduled for sentencing on Dec. 20. James Lee’s case remains open.
According to the DOJ, from at least Jan. 2022 through Nov. 2023, Jummyung Lee knowingly conspired with Han Lee and James Lee to operate a prostitution network in the Boston area and eastern Virginia — curated to persuade women to travel out of state to engage in prostitution. In addition, the co-conspirators knowingly conspired to launder proceeds from the prostitution network by hiding that the money was coming from the prostitution conspiracy.
It was determined that Jummyung Lee was recruited to work with the prostitution network in late 2021 through early 2022, as the “business” expanded. According to the DOJ, his prominent role in this conspiracy was its appointment “booker,” though he also assisted with other tasks to manage the prostitution network. In exchange for his efforts, Han Lee paid Jummyung Lee a monthly salary between $6,000 and $8,000.
As the “booker,” Jummyung Lee’s duties included vetting sex buyers, booking appointments and communicating with vetted customers from at least two cell phones. According to the DOG, the brothel cell phones had over 2,800 verified customers from the “business.” There was an additional phone with contacts for the Virginia brothel, but it was never recovered.
Jummyung Lee also was said to have helped transport women to and from the airport — some working at brothels in different locations and multiple states.
According to DOJ, the defendants allegedly rented luxury apartments in Massachusetts and Virginia to serve as brothels, which they furnished and managed regularly. In June 2022, Jummyung Lee leased one of the brothel locations in Massachusetts under his own name in exchange for a large cash payment from Han Lee. A portion of that cash payment went towards buying a Corvette.
Jummyung Lee collected cash from the multiple brothel locations with the direction of Han Lee, concealing the proceeds from structured deposits into personal bank accounts.
The defendants are accused of often using hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash from the prostitution business to buy money orders — usually in amounts under the limit that triggers reporting and other requirements — to hide the source of income. According to the DOJ, they then used the money orders to pay rent and other utilities for the brothels.
The charge of conspiracy to persuade, induce, entice and coerce one or more people to travel in interstate or foreign commerce to engage in prostitution could result in a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years supervised release and a fine up to $250,000. Money laundering conspiracy charges have a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $500,000 or double the value of the money laundered, whichever is greater.
Junmyung Lee is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 12, 2025.
Those who have questions or concerns, or could provide any information about these cases, are asked to contact USAMA.VictimAssistance@usdoj.gov.