It’s not typical for the Justice Department to get involved in breaking up local prostitution rings, but the sex-network bust federal prosecutors announced on Wednesday wasn’t an ordinary operation.
The sex workers catered to the well-to-do, powerful and influential professionals of Washington and Boston who now face public exposure and criminal sentences.
Prosecutors announced the arrest of three people who operated the prostitution ring out of luxury apartments just outside Boston and in McLean, Virginia, a suburb of Washington and one of the most expensive cities in the U.S.
In a public statement, Justice Department officials only named the three men arrested for running the operation.
The clients’ identities were kept secret, but it’s unlikely they will be shielded for long.
The Justice Department’s decision to get involved in the case, say those familiar with the process, centers on the list of powerful “johns” or clients.
“This is all sad stuff, but it rarely rises to the level of the Department of Justice,” former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani told The Washington Times. “This is exactly the type of case that had it not been for the johns, it would probably just be handled locally.”
Federal prosecutors decided not to leave the case to the police departments in Fairfax and McLean, Virginia, or Cambridge and Watertown, Massachusetts.
A 60-page affidavit provides clues as to why the Justice Department has taken on the case.
It described a wide array of customers, among them politicians, military officers, professors, lawyers, pharmaceutical and tech executives, scientists and government contractors with security clearances. They visited prostitutes in McLean and the Massachusetts cities of Watertown and Cambridge in apartments costing $3,700 in monthly rent.
Clients were required to provide not only their full name and other identifying information but an employer reference.
Many of their names are now in the hands of the Justice Department.
“Prosecutors love to go after high-level folks because they can make a name for themselves,” Mr. Rahmani said.
Special Agent Zachary Mitlitsky, the lead investigator, said he believes there are potentially hundreds of “yet to be identified” customers from different professions. He made a point of explaining why the Justice Department has not named any of the men — yet.
“I do not do this for purposes of maintaining their anonymity, but instead do so because our investigation into their involvement in prostitution is active and ongoing,” Mr. Mitlitsky said.
Criminal justice experts say it’s likely federal prosecutors are working on plea agreements in exchange for cooperation from those they have identified as the brothels’ clients.
Clients paid between $240 and $840 for up to two hours with a prostitute or up to $600 an hour depending on the services requested, according to a text message from the ringleaders shown in the affidavit.
Federal agents said they identified customers through surveillance, phone records, customer interviews and other investigative methods.
If prosecuted at the state level, the charges would typically result in probation and a fine for the clients.
In most states, punishment is a minimal fine unless a minor is involved.
In Virginia, working as a prostitute or paying somebody for sex could result in a maximum of 12 months in jail and a fine of up to $2,500. However, neither hookers nor johns typically receive any jail time.
Mr. Rahmani said the federal government is more likely to seek probation for the clients and harder sentences for the men running the sex ring.
Mr. Mitlitsky, the lead investigator, is a special agent with Homeland Security who specializes in interstate and international human trafficking investigations.
The three men arrested in the case, Han Lee, James Lee and Junmyung Lee are charged with conspiracy to coerce and entice to travel to engage in illegal sexual activity, which carries a 20-year sentence.
The Justice Department described the investigation as “active and ongoing.”
Sex scandals are a regular occurrence in Washington and high-end prostitutes have played prominent roles.
One of the most notorious cases involved Deborah Jeane Palfrey. Known as the D.C. Madam, she was convicted in 2008 of running an escort service for powerful men in Washington, including former Sen. David Vitter, Louisiana Republican, and Randall L. Tobias, the former CEO of Eli Lilly and the Ambassador of the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Sentenced to six years on racketeering charges, Palfrey hung herself.