this post was submitted on 28 Sep 2024
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A Massachusetts woman pleaded guilty on Friday to running a high-end brothel network in the greater Boston area and the suburbs of Washington that served wealthy and well-connected clientele including politicians, corporate executives, lawyers and military officers.

Han Lee appeared in Boston federal court to plead guilty to charges that she conspired to persuade, induce and entice primarily Asian women to travel to Massachusetts and Virginia to engage in prostitution and committed money laundering.

She was the first to admit wrongdoing of the three individuals who prosecutors charged in November in connection with a sex ring run out of apartment complexes in Cambridge and Watertown, Massachusetts and Fairfax and Tysons, Virginia.

Lee, 42, faces up to 25 years in prison when she is sentenced Dec. 20. She stressed when addressing U.S. District Judge Julia Kobick that while she ran an illegal prostitution business, she did not force any women to engage in sex work.

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[–] shish_mish@lemmy.world 92 points 6 hours ago (3 children)

Sex work should be legal as long as it is done willingly.Let them pay tax and work out of buildings. That would keep the women much safer than working on the streets and get into cars with people.

[–] deadbeef79000@lemmy.nz 16 points 2 hours ago

It turned out really well in NZ when we legalised it.

There's even a sex workers union.

We still have our share of christofacists and prosperity grifters though, they're just relatively politically impotent.

[–] egrets@lemmy.world 9 points 3 hours ago

And with some degree of oversight, for the safety and health of the workers and their clients.

[–] Nougat@fedia.io 27 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

And in this specific case, none of the workers were street-level, getting into randos cars. That doesn't necessarily mean that all of the workers were willing participants, but I would bet that with the level of clientele involved, almost all were.

[–] GiantChickDicks@lemmy.ml 3 points 3 hours ago

I'm curious why you assume almost all were willing participants. I'm also concerned with the use of the word "coerced".

The promise of good money doesn't ensure willingness, and just because workers are "street level" doesn't mean they aren't being exploited.

[–] Yawweee877h444@lemmy.world 31 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Where is the accountability and harsh consequences for the

politicians, corporate executives, lawyers and military officers

They're gonna be held accountable right?

Guys...?

[–] eskimofry@lemmy.world 3 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

Best I can do is another Epstein

[–] zbyte64@awful.systems 1 points 1 hour ago
[–] randomaside@lemmy.dbzer0.com 29 points 5 hours ago (3 children)

Are any of the high end clientele facing charges?

[–] The_v@lemmy.world 10 points 4 hours ago

Well, her new business is a subscription service to keep the pictures she has of them off the internet.

[–] girlfreddy@lemmy.ca 8 points 5 hours ago
[–] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 3 points 5 hours ago
[–] disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world 40 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

We would create jobs, increase tax revenue, and people like Han Lee wouldn’t need to launder money, if we simply legalized prostitution.

[–] dual_sport_dork@lemmy.world 25 points 6 hours ago

Agreed. We should come down like a ton of bricks on anyone who coerces anybody to enter into prostitution, and leave everyone else alone.

[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 15 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Why is this a crime? I’d suck dick for enough money and I’m a cis male. People getting paid for their effort shouldn’t be a crime.