The individual accused of operating a sprawling brothel community in Boston and Virginia made an “outstanding” sum of money operating the enterprise over the past a number of years, concealing over $1 million in-part by “structured money orders,” a federal agent wrote in courtroom paperwork filed Wednesday.
Prosecutors accused Han Lee, a 41-year-old Cambridge resident, of heading up a brothel community that catered to politicians, docs, legal professionals, and army officers in each states and had the infrastructure to “persuade, induce, and entice” ladies to journey throughout state strains for prostitution work.
Han Lee’s monetary information detailing the unlawful enterprise had been “impeccable,” a U.S. Department of Homeland Security agent wrote in courtroom paperwork. Law enforcement stated they discovered no less than 16 cell telephones, utility payments, a pc, and different paperwork inside Han Lee’s Cambridge condominium.
“From a shelf, investigators seized a Louis Vuitton shoe box which contained hundreds of money order receipts for both Western Union and United States Postal Service that appeared to be organized by date, location, and rent amount,” investigators wrote in courtroom paperwork.
There had been detailed ledgers detailing the day by day exercise of the brothels in Virginia and Boston, the latter of which prosecutors stated had been run by Junmyung Lee, a 30-year-old Dedham resident.
One ledger discovered within the condominium was discovered open to a web page exhibiting the stage names, appointment dates and instances, and earnings of ladies, particularly to individuals who had been then-listed on the Virginia brothel web site, investigators stated in courtroom paperwork.
Both Han Lee and Junmyung Lee voluntarily agreed Wednesday to stay in custody whereas their case performs out in federal courtroom, in response to courtroom information.
Investigators stated the brothels had been run as a money enterprise and the accused leaders took prolonged measures to hide the cash they made.
Brothel leaders deposited money into their very own accounts, spreading them out and later changing them into cash orders “to make the funds appear more legitimate,” investigators stated in courtroom paperwork. They additionally used “third-party bank accounts” to obtain deposits and conduct different monetary transactions, in response to authorities.
“The co-conspirators also engaged in ‘structuring,’ (intentionally splitting larger amounts of money into a series of smaller sums to avoid scrutiny from law enforcement or compliance obligations), both in the manner in which the co-conspirators made cash deposits into their own accounts, as well as the manner in which they converted cash into money orders, in order to avoid reporting requirements,” investigators stated.
Investigators stated Han Lee bought tons of of hundreds of {dollars} of cash orders from the United States Postal Service and Western Union “which she then used to pay for various expenses tied to the prostitution business.”
Han Lee had “lavish and extravagant” spending habits although she lacked authentic employment, investigators stated. The Louis Vuitton shoe field that served as a submitting cupboard for the brothel enterprise had a $1,360 sticker value for the footwear, in response to investigators.
“Investigators located luxury bags and shoes, including items from Yves St. Laurent, Givenchy, Louis Vuitton, Christian Louboutin, and Jimmy Choo. I am aware that Han’s bank records reflect purchases at other luxury stores, including Balenciaga,” DHS Special Agent Zachary Mitlitsky wrote in an affidavit.
During searches of cellphones carried by ladies working on the brothels, investigators stated they discovered communications from Han Lee that laid out “house rules” for business intercourse employees on the brothels.
Those included turning on “the song while working,” being cautious with cigarettes, not going exterior “with heavy makeup,” and refraining from utilizing “red lights or other colored lights in front of the door,” in response to courtroom paperwork filed by investigators.
“No matter how much I talk, there are guests who enter the building silently,” Han Lee is accused of writing within the “house rules.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com”