The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has ruled against a motion filed by several anonymous men seeking to keep their identities concealed in an alleged sex-trafficking case spanning Greater Boston and the Washington, D.C., area.
The decision, which upholds a previous ruling by a Cambridge District Court clerk magistrate, marks the third failed attempt by the defendants—described as high-profile clients of the alleged trafficking operation—to maintain anonymity.
The Boston Herald was the first to report on the SJC’s decision Thursday.
The ruling affirms that hearings will be open to the public, though records and preliminary documents remain sealed pending further court action. Hearing dates are expected to be scheduled for late January or early February, according to the Herald.
The SJC’s decision supports the magistrate’s discretion to balance public interest with privacy concerns.
“The clerk-magistrate acted reasonably and within the proper scope of her discretion in deciding to grant public access to the show cause hearings,” the court stated, citing that the men’s prominent social and professional status could raise “legitimate public concerns about potential favoritism and bias if such hearings were held behind closed doors.”
The defendants reportedly include government officials, corporate executives, and others in positions of wealth and influence.
The U.S. Attorney’s office disclosed the case in November 2023, with Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy stating that these prominent individuals “are the men who fueled this commercial sex ring.”
[RELATED: Owner of Several Maine Massage Parlors Charged with Sex Trafficking, Forced Labor…]
Since then, federal agents have sought complaints against 28 alleged clients as the investigation continues.
In response, the accused have mounted legal efforts to prevent public disclosure, arguing that publicity surrounding the case would cause undue harm.
The court noted that historical practices have tended to shield clients in such cases, allowing them to avoid accountability.
“Reversing that practice and providing the public with access…provides a strong counterweight to the privacy interests of those responding to the complaints,” the clerk-magistrate argued. She also stated that holding the hearings publicly is essential to prevent any perception of preferential treatment due to the men’s influential positions, adding, “The only effective means to dispel those concerns is to conduct all the hearings for all [the accused] in public without regard to status or station.”
Two individuals accused of running the alleged sex-trafficking network have pleaded guilty.
Han “Hanna” Lee, 42, admitted to recruiting Korean women to work in a network of apartments, while her associate, Junmyung Lee, 31, of Dedham, acknowledged charges of coercion to prostitution and money laundering conspiracy.
[RELATED: Yarmouth Doc Accused of Running Massage Parlor as Front for Sex Trafficking…]
According to the Department of Homeland Security, Lee ran a sophisticated network of houses and apartments that used obscure websites to allow clients to book prostitutes.
Both face maximum sentences of 25 years in prison, with Han Lee also facing deportation. A third defendant, James Lee of California, has yet to enter a plea.
In Maine, several alleged prostitution operations have been shuttered, including in Portland and Yarmouth, within the last year.
All of them are alleged to have used massage parlors as fronts for the prostitution activity; however, none of the clients’ names have been released.
Here’s the SJC decision:
Let us see how the upper crust lives.
Maine Democrats will fight to the death before Han Lee is deported. They are the party that protects women., after all.