Cambridge, Massachusetts, city councilor among suspects facing charges in high-end brothel case
By Ted Wayman and Veronica Haynes
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CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts (WCVB) — A Cambridge, Massachusetts, city councilor is among several suspects facing charges Friday in connection with a high-end brothel operation in Cambridge, Watertown and Virginia.
Prosecutors allege Paul Toner and several others paid for commercial sex in connection with brothels operating out of Cambridge and Watertown apartments from 2020 to 2022, involving women trafficked predominantly from Asia.
Toner pleaded not guilty and was released on personal recognizance. His attorney said Toner plans to fight the allegations and has no intention of stepping down from the Cambridge City Council.
Last month, Toner apologized and said that he takes his job very seriously.
“I’d like to apologize to my fellow councilors, my supporters and the community for taking up the time of the council and the public discourse on this matter. All Americans, including elected officials, are entitled to the right to due process. But some have already judged and convicted me,” Toner said.
According to court documents, the other suspects facing charges Friday include: Anurag Bajpayee, of Cambridge; Paul Grant, of Charlestown; Howard Redmond, of Tewksbury; James Cusak Jr., of Boston; John Doran, of Wellesley; Yihong Zou, of Boston; Boya Zhou, of Boston; Kerry Wu, of Natick; Jason Han, of Boston; Peter MacGillivray, of Boston; Pablo Maceira, of Boston; Amrit Chaudhuri, of Brookline; Mitchell Rubenstein, of Chestnut Hill; Harmanpreet Singh, of Woburn; Kenneth Posco, of Fitchburg; George Wu , of Needham; Patrick Enright, of Wakefield; Marshall Berenson, of Cambridge; Sankara Asapu, of Malden; and John Cascarano, of Hingham.
In September 2024, Han Lee, the woman accused of running the brothel, pleaded guilty in federal court. Lee was sentenced to four years in prison.
Junmyung Lee, 31, of Dedham, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty in October to 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 and one count of money laundering conspiracy.
James Lee, 69, of Torrance, California, was also charged in the case.
The brothel operation used websites that falsely claimed to advertise nude models for professional photography, prosecutors allege. The operators rented high-end apartments to use as brothels in Watertown and Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Tysons and Fairfax, Virginia, prosecutors said.
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