Police stand guard outdoors the federal courthouse in Boston in January 2015. Three individuals have been arrested on allegations that they ran a complicated business intercourse ring in Massachusetts and Virginia that catered to well-connected shoppers similar to elected officers and army officers, federal prosecutors mentioned on Wednesday.

Michael Dwyer/AP file photograph

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Michael Dwyer/AP file photograph

Police stand guard outdoors the federal courthouse in Boston in January 2015. Three individuals have been arrested on allegations that they ran a complicated business intercourse ring in Massachusetts and Virginia that catered to well-connected shoppers similar to elected officers and army officers, federal prosecutors mentioned on Wednesday.

Michael Dwyer/AP file photograph

BOSTON — Three individuals have been charged with working a complicated business intercourse ring in Massachusetts and jap Virginia that catered to well-connected shoppers similar to elected officers and army officers, federal prosecutors mentioned on Wednesday.

Women have been featured on web sites that falsely claimed to promote nude Asian fashions for skilled images, and high-end residences with month-to-month rents as excessive as $3,660 have been used as brothels, prosecutors say. Another web site allowed shoppers to price the ladies, prosecutors say.

“This commercial sex ring was built on secrecy and exclusivity, catering to a wealthy and well-connected clientele, and business was booming, until today,” Acting Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Josh Levy mentioned.

The Massachusetts brothels have been in Watertown and Cambridge, whereas others have been outdoors of Washington, D.C., in Tysons and Fairfax, Va., prosecutors mentioned. Buyers paid upwards of $600 per hour for companies, and a few even paid a month-to-month membership payment to be pre-cleared for intercourse in a course of just like TSA PreCheck, Levy mentioned.

Authorities haven’t named the individuals believed to have purchased companies via the ring, and none of them have been charged. But Levy confused that the investigation is within the early phases, and mentioned that prosecutors are dedicated to holding accountable each those that ran the scheme and those that “fueled the demand for this ring.”

Levy mentioned there have been probably lots of of shoppers, together with authorities contractors with safety clearances, docs, attorneys, elected officers, army officers, professors and executives at tech corporations.

Han “Hana” Lee 41, of Cambridge, Mass., James Lee, 68, of Torrance, Calif., and Junmyung Lee, 30, of Dedham, Mass., have been arrested Wednesday and charged with conspiracy to coerce and entice others to journey to have interaction in unlawful sexual exercise. Prosecutors say they made lots of of hundreds of {dollars} via the scheme.

An lawyer for Han Lee declined to remark and an electronic mail searching for remark was despatched to a lawyer for Junmyung Lee. There was no lawyer listed for James Lee in court docket data, and a message searching for remark was despatched to a quantity listed as a relative.

Authorities used surveillance and cellphone data to establish intercourse patrons and interviewed about 20 of them in the course of the investigation, based on court docket papers. One purchaser advised investigators he was directed through textual content message to an condominium and offered a menu of girls, companies and the hourly price.

Han and Junmyung are accused of working the day-to-day operations of the Massachusetts brothels, and Han can also be accused of overseeing the every day operations of the Virginia ones, based on court docket papers. That included arranging for transportation for the ladies and accumulating proceeds, authorities allege.

Prosecutors say James Lee additionally leased a number of of the present and former brothel places in Massachusetts and Virginia.