"Eager to gain access to an exclusive establishment near Harvard University, biotech executives, doctors, lawyers and politicians filled out applications and handed over IDs, work badges and personal references.
This elite club was a high-end brothel charging up to $600 an hour for sexual encounters in luxury apartments in Cambridge, Mass.
Now, that unusual trove of personal information is serving as evidence in a series of criminal hearings that have pulled back the curtain on upscale sex work. Dozens of prominent Boston-area men, who lost a legal battle for anonymity, are facing misdemeanor charges that have caused major public fallout.
Cambridge City Councilor Paul Toner, among the alleged sex buyers, is confronting calls for his resignation and has been stripped of committee assignments. Others have left high-profile posts in business and medicine without explanation. Most have avoided the closely watched proceedings, dubbed "The Cambridge Brothel Hearings" by local media, where names -- more than 30 so far -- have emerged in batches.
While naming and shaming johns is a longstanding deterrent against prostitution, police typically target sex traffickers and workers. In this case, a desire by prosecutors to target buyers, legal action by media organizations, and the brothel's impeccable customer records pushed the clientele into the spotlight.
The brothel, where young Asian women used names like Tulip and Tiki, also operated just outside Washington, D.C., but Virginia prosecutors said they declined to pursue charges against johns there.
"They chose these locations because they were trying to attract rich and powerful men who wanted to buy sex," said Leah Foley, U.S. attorney for the District of Massachusetts, whose office referred 34 alleged buyers to Cambridge authorities and a separate batch to Virginia.
Han Lee, the 42-year-old madam, received a four-year prison sentence in March after pleading guilty to conspiracy to induce women into prostitution and money laundering. Courts ordered her to forfeit $5.5 million.
Attorneys for 13 of the men accused of buying sex fought to keep their names private, arguing before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court that they were "private citizens who face adverse and embarrassing collateral consequences if their name and image are published." The court ruled the hearings should be made public.
Anti-sex-trafficking groups are heartened by that. "I would hope that them getting named makes others think about twice what they're doing," said Ivette Monge, a survivor who works with the nonprofit Ready Inspire Act.
In Cambridge, the brothel ran out of a swanky condo complex that touts "unrivaled city views." Lee, the madam, was picky. She demanded potential clients provide information such as work IDs and references from existing customers or other brothels.
Prosecutors allege Lee vetted clients in part to screen out law enforcement. Her attorney argued she did so because she cared about the safety of her workers.
Born into poverty in South Korea, Lee was a sex worker for years before becoming a madam. She allowed women to keep more than half the proceeds and decline to perform services if they chose, wrote Scott Lauer, her federal public defender.
Former vice detectives told The Wall Street Journal they were surprised at the brothel's exclusivity and organization -- and that so many brainy professionals would surrender personal details to it.
Jonathan Lanfear, the 56-year-old chief executive of HiberCell, a biotech firm focused on novel cancer therapies, was one who did so, authorities allege. Photos of Lanfear's work ID from Takeda Pharmaceuticals, where he previously worked, his driver's license, credit card and a selfie were found on the brothel phone, police say.
Authorities allege Lanfear arranged for sex at least 10 times, including on June 27, 2023, when he texted the brothel phone asking about a woman named Wren.
The brothel confirmed Wren's availability but warned: "Only GFE Services, No BB Services!! -- referencing the "Girlfriend Experience" (which prosecutors described as "more intimate") and "bareback" (condom-less).
Lanfear agreed to pay $340 for an hour, police say.
Unaware investigators had installed hallway cameras in the complex, he was stopped by detectives when leaving. When questioned, Lanfear said he was visiting a friend.
At a recent hearing to decide whether charges should be brought, Lanfear's attorney David Yannetti argued no evidence showed his client knew he was visiting a brothel or that money changed hands. Yannetti emphasized prosecutors didn't offer any testimony about what actually occurred inside.
"There are a lot of conclusions that are drawn," Yannetti said. "There's not sufficient evidence to back up those conclusions."
The court disagreed, and Lanfear is set to be arraigned on a misdemeanor charge. Neither Lanfear nor his company, HiberCell, responded to requests for comment.
Other companies such as Gradiant, a cutting-edge wastewater treatment firm with a valuation of over $1 billion, are defending their chief executives more vocally. Anurag Bajpayee, an MIT-trained mechanical engineer whose innovations previously earned him a spot on Scientific American's annual Top 10 World-Changing Ideas, is alleged to have paid for sex at the brothel several times.
"We believe in the justice system and are confident that this will resolve favorably in due course," said Gradiant representative Felix Wang. "Unrelated to this, Gradiant will continue to pursue excellence in technological innovation and to strive towards our mission to ensure clean water for all society."
The loudest outcry has come over the revelation that Toner, the Cambridge councilman, was an alleged client. The angst in the liberal city has less to do with moral qualms than with concerns over exploitation in the sex industry.
Toner, 58, apologized during a March council meeting, saying he was ashamed to have his name associated with the case. But he said he wouldn't be stepping down. "All Americans -- including elected officials -- are entitled to the right to due process," he said.
Though Toner was allegedly a frequent customer, the brothel still reminded him to maintain discretion, according to police.
"DO NOT BE LOUD ON THE HALLWAY," a brothel text told him. "WATCH OUT FOR NEIGHBORS."" [1]
1. U.S. News: Cambridge Brothel Scandal Ensnares Boston's Elite. Elinson, Zusha. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 08 Apr 2025: A3.
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