Hearings on whether there is probable cause to criminally charge alleged customers of a high-end brothel β including professors and elected officials β must be held in public, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts ruled Friday. Gaziano ruled Friday that they will be held publicly.
The ruling follows requests by the Boston Globe, WBUR, and other media outlets, which argued that an open hearing would be in the public interest. But Acting U. Attorney Joshua S. Federal authorities first arrested the alleged ringleaders of the scheme in November, accusing them of operating a ring of brothels out of luxury apartment complexes through the greater Boston area and Eastern Virginia.
The three individuals β Han Lee, James Lee, and Junmyung Lee β were accused of enticing women to participate in the network by offering them overnight lodging in the apartments. On Friday, they were officially indicted by the federal grand jury in Boston on charges of conspiracy to persuade one or more individuals to engage in prostitution and money laundering conspiracy.
A previous version of this article misspelled the name of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. Edwards can be reached at sally. Montgomery can be reached at asher.
Want to keep up with breaking news? Subscribe to our email newsletter. Hearings on whether there is probable cause to criminally charge alleged customers of a high-end brothel β including professors and elected officials β must be held in public. By Julian J. By Sally E. Edwards and Asher J. Montgomery , Crimson Staff Writers. The dates of the hearings have not yet been announced.
