SJC hears from alleged brothel clients about keeping hearings private

The Supreme Judicial Court is deciding whether or not to allow a Cambridge court to release identifying details for 28 men accused of buying sex from a brothel network that operated in Greater Boston.

The justices heard oral arguments from representatives for the alleged clients, media organizations, and the Cambridge District Court Clerk-Magistrate on Monday. The accused clients allegedly include high-profile politicians and executives.

“The issue is whether the public is comfortable that there’s not preferential treatment for ones who are powerful, and how do you know if it’s not public?” Chief Justice Scott Kafker poised to one of the lawyers for the men.

In January, WBUR, The Boston Globe, and NBC10 requested the clerk-magistrate open the show-cause hearings for the alleged sex buyers in Cambridge District Court. Those hearings are typically held behind closed doors.

“It’s appropriate to open show-cause hearings where two conditions are met,” the media organizations’ lawyer, Jeffrey Pyle, told the state’s highest court. “An application is one of special public significance, and legitimate public interests outweigh the accused right to privacy. Both prongs were clearly met here.”

Boston.com and the Globe are part of the same company that is suing for the documents.

During Monday’s arguments, the justices criticized the Cambridge clerk-magistrate for deciding to open the hearings before giving the potential defendants a chance to respond.

“These show-cause hearings are presumptively closed, so that’s a right that these potential defendants have, and it was taken away without so much of a word,” Associate Justice Dalila Wendlandt said.

Federal case against brothel organizers, alleged sex buyers

The case made national headlines starting in November when three people were arrested on federal charges related to a high-end brothel network in the Boston area and Virginia. 

Han “Hana” Lee, 41, of Cambridge, is the suspected ringleader of the brothel network and allegedly concealed more than $1 million in prostitution proceeds. Prosecutors said she kept detailed records in a Louis Vuitton shoebox.

Dedham resident Junmyung Lee, 30, and James Lee, 68, of California are alleged co-conspirators. James Lee is also accused of fraudulently obtaining more than $550,000 in COVID-19 relief funds.

The three were each indicted in February on 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,” acting U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Joshua Levy’s office said.

Earlier this week, Hana Lee filed a motion to schedule a hearing to change her not guilty plea to guilty. 

The brothel allegedly operated out of high-end apartments in Cambridge and Watertown and advertised to clients online. Prospective sex buyers were allegedly instructed to respond to a survey and provide details online, including their driver’s license, employer information, and credit card information. Levy said last year that they often paid a monthly fee to be part of the club.

Criminal charges against 28 alleged brothel clients are pending. The court sent summonses for probable cause hearings, which the media organizations filed to make public. None of the men’s identities have been made public.