A clerk magistrate on Friday found “sufficient evidence” to move forward with legal cases against at least 12 men accused of buying sex at a high-end brothel operation based in Massachusetts and Virginia.
The hearings — held in Cambridge District Court — were the first of three scheduled to identify more than two dozen men allegedly involved in what federal prosecutors said was a “sophisticated” prostitution network first announced in 2023.
Three people have pleaded guilty in the federal case and are awaiting sentencing.
On Friday, cases against alleged sex buyers were heard in state court. The hearing, which attracted several dozen reporters, became a matter of public interest when prosecutors said buyers included, “elected officials, high tech and pharmaceutical executives, doctors, military officers, government contractors that possess security clearances, professors, attorneys, scientists, and accountants, among others.”
GBH News decided not to identify them because they did not appear to be people of prominence and are facing misdemeanor charges.
Only two of the men showed up for the hearing by mid afternoon. Others were found to have defaulted and will be called back to court on a future date.
The hearing revealed more details about the alleged operation. Cambridge police Lt. Jarred Cabral, read from a statement from officers assigned to the Homeland Security Task Force. He said men were caught on surveillance entering an apartment building in Cambridge, their images matching photos from the Registry of Motor Vehicles. The men used an online site to solicit sex from mainly Asian women, he said.
The women were “persuaded, induced and enticed” to provide sex for a fee for what the brothel described as “a donation.” Cabral said the men communicated through text messages, sometimes requesting particular women, the type of sex acts they wanted and time allotted. They were allegedly charged $350 to upwards of $600 per hour, depending on the act.
The hearing drew protesters, including about a dozen women and men involved with the anti-trafficking groups, My Life My Choice and The EMMA Coalition. Activists have argued that it is important for sex buyers to be held accountable for their part in the exploitation of women in the sex trade. As one of the defendants exited the stairs, My Life My Choice Executive Director Audrey Morrissey, shouted, “shame.”
Attorneys for several of the men sought leniency for their clients at the hearing. One of them, attorney Steven Goldwyn, asked the court to dismiss his client’s case after a year, “if he stays out of trouble.”
Another attorney asked the court to dismiss charges against his client, identified as a software engineer. He said the man’s marriage had fallen apart and he was in the process of getting divorced. He said his client works as a radiation technologist at a local hospital where he “saves lives.” He said he had completed a course discouraging sex buying.
“He’s single and he didn’t cheat on anybody,” the attorney said.
Another attorney, David Grimaldi, said his client was wrongly identified, pointing to a discrepancy in the police report and his client’s phone number and date of birth.
The clerk magistrate denied all their requests. Probable cause hearings will be held March 21 and 28 for the rest of the men facing charges.
