Latest news with #DepartmentofDermatology
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Health
- The Hindu
Watch: Covid cases rise, adolescent health, skin care and more
We address the elephant in the room – COVID cases are rising. There is a palpable sense of panic. Is it a pandemic? Should we take precautions? In the US, health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jnr has said Covid boosters are not to be given to pregnant women and children, with experts already questioning this move. We also talk about the Lancet Commission report on adolescent health and childhood obesity, and the installation of sugar boards in CBSE schools. Back to the US, legendary musician Billy Joel has cancelled his concerts due to an illness called NPS. What is it all about? In our expert segment, we speak to Dr. Monisha Madhumita, Assistant Professor at the Department of Dermatology, in Chennai's Saveetha Medical College. Dr Madhumita talks about skin care routines in this varying climate of blazing sunshine followed by rains, skin pigmentation issues and more. Presentation: Ramya Kannan and Zubeda Hamid Editing: Thamodharan B. Videography: Thamodharan B. and Shiva Raj
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Health
- The Hindu
Watch: Covid cases rise, adolescent health, skin pigmentation, and more
We address the elephant in the room – COVID cases are rising. There is a palpable sense of panic. Is it a pandemic? Should we take precautions? In the US, health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jnr has said Covid boosters are not to be given to pregnant women and children, with experts already questioning this move. We also talk about the Lancet Commission report on adolescent health and childhood obesity, and the installation of sugar boards in CBSE schools. Back to the US, legendary musician Billy Joel has cancelled his concerts due to an illness called NPS. What is it all about? In our expert segment, we speak to Dr. Monisha Madhumita, Assistant Professor at the Department of Dermatology, in Chennai's Saveetha Medical College. Dr Madhumita talks about skin care routines in this varying climate of blazing sunshine followed by rains, skin pigmentation issues and more. Presentation: Ramya Kannan and Zubeda Hamid Editing: Thamodharan B. Videography: Thamodharan B. and Shiva Raj
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
A South Bay Man Who Was Part of a High-End Brothel Network Sentenced to Federal Time
A South Bay Man Who Was Part of a High-End Brothel Network Sentenced to Federal Time originally appeared on L.A. Mag. A South Bay man who federal prosecutors say was at the center of a members-only luxury brothel network that regularly flew high-end escorts to service elite clients in Los Angeles was sentenced to two years in federal prison on Thursday by a Boston judge. James Lee, 70, was an elderly pimp connected to a network of human traffickers who operated the underground sex-for-a-fee escort service that catered to wealthy and influential men in Massachusetts, Virginia, and Los Angeles. Lee was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $569,123 in connection with the fraudulently obtained COVID-19 funds and a money judgment of $63,000 related to the proceeds earned by the defendant as a result of the prostitution conspiracy, prosecutors say. Lee was arrested at his Torrence home in late 2023 with co-defendants Han Lee, 42, of Cambridge, Massachusetts and Junmyung Lee, 31, of Dedham, Massachusetts. The trio have since made deals with the government. Han Lee was sentenced to four years in prison to be followed by one year of supervised release in March, and was to forfeit nearly $5.5 million in money made by the human trafficking operation. A month later, Junmyung Lee, 32, was sentenced to one year in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release. The Court also ordered a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $200,000, equal to the amount of proceeds earned by the defendant during the conspiracy. Meanwhile, white shoe defense lawyers for a plethora of 'John Does' identified in the black books of the sophisticated interstate high-end brothel network continue the fight to keep their clients' names secret from the public. "They are doctors, they are lawyers, they're accountants, they are executives at high-tech companies, pharmaceutical companies, they're military officers, government contractors, professors, scientists," former U.S. attorney for Massachusetts Joshua Levy said at the time of the bust in November 2023. Since then, the names of a dozen clients - like Dr. Mitchell Rubenstein of Chestnut Hill, who remains on leave from his position as Executive Vice Chair for the Department of Dermatology at Brigham and Women's Hospital - have been released as prosecutors say that paid a fee to join the members only network and then ponied up anywhere from $350 to $600 an hour to have sex with Korean women. A police commander described the services this way at a court proceeding: "For example, GFE refers to a girlfriend experience, and provides a more intimate experience and blurs the boundaries between a financial transaction and relationship," said Cambridge Police Lt. Jarred Cabral. "Typically including any and all sex acts." But other names of johns who were brothel members remain a secret. "They will undoubtedly lose their jobs, lose their professions and have their lives ripped apart," attorney Benjamin Urbelis, representing five of the alleged brothel clients whose names continue to be shielded, argued before the Supreme Judicial Court. Prosecutors say Lee rented several high-end apartments in Boston and Eastern Virginia that were used as brothel locations and was the sole and legal tenant of at least six locations that were used for sexual hook-ups chosen from a menu of options advertised to the underworld outfit's members. Officials were concerned that the Koreans behind the scheme were collecting intelligence and compromising information on powerful men. A Department of Homeland Security Investigations affidavit filed by an agent in the Human Smuggling and Trafficking Unit pointed out that the three accused pimps - including the elderly Torrance man who ran several businesses in Los Angeles - are from a country that the U.S. considers an adversary and the money they were making selling sex was sent back to South Korea."Lee was regularly compensated by his co-conspirators for both leasing apartments and for his travel to and from the brothel locations," prosecutors say. "He also served as a liaison between the females working in the units and the property managers by fielding calls and coordinating any issues that arose relating to maintenance and inspections.""This commercial sex ring was built on secrecy and exclusivity, catering to a wealthy and well-connected clientele," Levy said at the time of its takedown. "Business was booming."Clients went through an arduous background check and submitted employment information and referrals before they could join the elite brothel club, which prosecutors say then charged rates of $350 to $600 or more per hour for prostitution services, depending on the services. This story was originally reported by L.A. Mag on May 29, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
A South Bay Man Who Was Part of a High-End Brothel Network Sentenced to Federal Time
A South Bay Man Who Was Part of a High-End Brothel Network Sentenced to Federal Time originally appeared on L.A. Mag. A South Bay man who federal prosecutors say was at the center of a members-only luxury brothel network that regularly flew high-end escorts to service elite clients in Los Angeles was sentenced to two years in federal prison on Thursday by a Boston judge. James Lee, 70, was an elderly pimp connected to a network of human traffickers who operated the underground sex-for-a-fee escort service that catered to wealthy and influential men in Massachusetts, Virginia, and Los Angeles. Lee was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $569,123 in connection with the fraudulently obtained COVID-19 funds and a money judgment of $63,000 related to the proceeds earned by the defendant as a result of the prostitution conspiracy, prosecutors say. Lee was arrested at his Torrence home in late 2023 with co-defendants Han Lee, 42, of Cambridge, Massachusetts and Junmyung Lee, 31, of Dedham, Massachusetts. The trio have since made deals with the government. Han Lee was sentenced to four years in prison to be followed by one year of supervised release in March, and was to forfeit nearly $5.5 million in money made by the human trafficking operation. A month later, Junmyung Lee, 32, was sentenced to one year in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release. The Court also ordered a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $200,000, equal to the amount of proceeds earned by the defendant during the conspiracy. Meanwhile, white shoe defense lawyers for a plethora of 'John Does' identified in the black books of the sophisticated interstate high-end brothel network continue the fight to keep their clients' names secret from the public. "They are doctors, they are lawyers, they're accountants, they are executives at high-tech companies, pharmaceutical companies, they're military officers, government contractors, professors, scientists," former U.S. attorney for Massachusetts Joshua Levy said at the time of the bust in November 2023. Since then, the names of a dozen clients - like Dr. Mitchell Rubenstein of Chestnut Hill, who remains on leave from his position as Executive Vice Chair for the Department of Dermatology at Brigham and Women's Hospital - have been released as prosecutors say that paid a fee to join the members only network and then ponied up anywhere from $350 to $600 an hour to have sex with Korean women. A police commander described the services this way at a court proceeding: "For example, GFE refers to a girlfriend experience, and provides a more intimate experience and blurs the boundaries between a financial transaction and relationship," said Cambridge Police Lt. Jarred Cabral. "Typically including any and all sex acts." But other names of johns who were brothel members remain a secret. "They will undoubtedly lose their jobs, lose their professions and have their lives ripped apart," attorney Benjamin Urbelis, representing five of the alleged brothel clients whose names continue to be shielded, argued before the Supreme Judicial Court. Prosecutors say Lee rented several high-end apartments in Boston and Eastern Virginia that were used as brothel locations and was the sole and legal tenant of at least six locations that were used for sexual hook-ups chosen from a menu of options advertised to the underworld outfit's members. Officials were concerned that the Koreans behind the scheme were collecting intelligence and compromising information on powerful men. A Department of Homeland Security Investigations affidavit filed by an agent in the Human Smuggling and Trafficking Unit pointed out that the three accused pimps - including the elderly Torrance man who ran several businesses in Los Angeles - are from a country that the U.S. considers an adversary and the money they were making selling sex was sent back to South Korea."Lee was regularly compensated by his co-conspirators for both leasing apartments and for his travel to and from the brothel locations," prosecutors say. "He also served as a liaison between the females working in the units and the property managers by fielding calls and coordinating any issues that arose relating to maintenance and inspections.""This commercial sex ring was built on secrecy and exclusivity, catering to a wealthy and well-connected clientele," Levy said at the time of its takedown. "Business was booming."Clients went through an arduous background check and submitted employment information and referrals before they could join the elite brothel club, which prosecutors say then charged rates of $350 to $600 or more per hour for prostitution services, depending on the services. This story was originally reported by L.A. Mag on May 29, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Yahoo
‘Booker' in high-end sex ring that catered to prominent clients gets prison time, faces deportation
The appointment 'booker' involved in an interstate commercial sex ring in greater Boston and Virginia that authorities said catered to 'wealthy and well-connected clientele' has been sentenced to federal prison and faces deportation, the U.S. Attorney said Monday. Junmyung Lee, 32, a Korean national living in Dedham, was sentenced in federal court in Boston on Friday to one year in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said in a statement. U.S. District Court Judge Julia Kobick handed down his sentence. Lee is subject to deportation upon completion of his sentence, Foley said. The court also ordered a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $200,000, equal to the amount of proceeds earned by Lee during the brothel ring. Lee's sentencing happened about one month after court hearings began in a Cambridge courtroom for dozens of 'wealthy and well-connected' men accused of being customers of the interstate commercial sex ring. Among the accused sex buyers are Cambridge City Councilor Paul Toner, former Massachusetts General Hospital oncologist James Cusack Jr. and Dr. Mitchell Rubenstein of Chestnut Hill, who is on leave from his position as Executive Vice Chair for the Department of Dermatology at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Toner, former president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association, communicated with the 'brothel phone' a total of 432 times and paid for sex at least 13 times over roughly a seven-month period, police wrote in their report. Lee, the appointment 'booker,' 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 to one count of money laundering conspiracy. His guilty plea came one month after the head of the interstate commercial sex ring, Han 'Hana' Lee, 42, of Cambridge, pleaded guilty in the case on Sept. 27. In court, Han Lee admitted to recruiting sex workers, getting them transportation to the brothel locations in Cambridge and Watertown, and then concealing the profits of the brothel with money orders. A second man, James Lee, 69, of California, pleaded guilty in February and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 28. All three were indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2024 on charges of conspiracy to persuade, induce, entice, and coerce one or more individuals to travel in interstate or foreign commerce to engage in prostitution, and money laundering conspiracy. Prosecutors said the trio ran a 'sophisticated' commercial sex network in Watertown, Cambridge, and in Virginia, where buyers paid up to $600 per hour for a wide array of advertised sex acts. They were arrested in November 2023. As 'booker,' Junmyung Lee was responsible for vetting sex buyers, booking appointments, as well as communicating directly with vetted customers via at least two cell phones – for Massachusetts and for Virginia, respectively, prosecutors said. Prosecutors said these brothel cell phones each contained over 2,800 verified customers of the prostitution business. Another known cell phone holding additional contacts for the Virginia brothel was never recovered, prosecutors said. Prosecutors said the trio charged sex buyers a premium price for appointments with women advertised on their websites. Buyers paid anywhere from $350 to upwards of $600 per hour for sex, depending on the services. They paid in cash. To conceal the proceeds of the prostitution network, Han Lee deposited hundreds of thousands of dollars of cash proceeds into personal and third-party bank accounts and peer-to-peer transfers, prosecutors said. Hundreds of thousands of dollars from these proceeds were used to buy money orders to conceal the source of the funds. These money orders were then used to pay for rent and utilities at brothel locations in Massachusetts and Virginia, prosecutors said. Junmyung Lee was recruited to work for the prostitution network in approximately late 2021 through early 2022, as the business expanded, prosecutors said. His main role in the conspiracy was that of the appointment 'booker' and assisted with various tasks to maintain the prostitution network, prosecutors said. In exchange, Han Lee paid Junmyung Lee $6,000 to $8,000 per month. Junmyung Lee also helped transport women to and from the airport, with some women working at the brothel locations on multiple occasions and in multiple states, prosecutors said. At the direction of Han Lee, he also collected the cash proceeds from the various brothel locations, and then concealed proceeds through structured deposits into personal bank accounts. In June 2022, Junmyung Lee leased one of the brothel locations in Cambridge under his own name, prosecutors said. In exchange for the lease, Junmyung Lee received a large cash payment of prostitution proceeds from Han Lee, which he then used to buy a Corvette, prosecutors said. The brothel network generated over $5.6 million in revenue from approximately 9,450 scheduled commercial sex dates with sex buyers, prosecutors said. On March 28, the men identified in court as alleged sex buyers included Amrit Chaudhuri, 39, of Brookline; Mitchell Rubenstein, 74, of Chestnut Hill; Marshall Berenson, 62, of Cambridge; Harmanpreet Singh, 38, of Woburn; Kenneth Posco, 69, of Fitchburg; George Wu, 58, of Needham; Patrick C. Enright, 63, of Wakefield; Suren Chelian, 47, of Lexington; Sankara S. Asapu, 40, of Malden; and John Cascarano, 61, of Hingham. On March 21, along with Cusack and Toner, Cambridge District Court Clerk Sharon Casey approved criminal complaints against the following nine other men: Nathaniel Welch of Concord; Frederick Rosenthal of Marblehead; Timothy Ackerson of Waltham; Matthew Fulton of Belmont; Howard Redmond of Tewksbury; Anurag Bajpayee of Cambridge; Paul Grant of Charlestown; Steven Riel of Laconia, N.H. and Jeffrey Henry, of Exeter, N.H. On March 14, a dozen accused sex buyers, from communities including Winchester, Lincoln, Concord, Newton, and Waltham, were identified in court. They included: Jonathan Lanfear, 56, of Winchester; Patrick Walsh , 66, of Swampscott; Pinhao Chao of Newton; David LaCava, 47, of Waltham; Jason Han, 29, of Concord; John Doran, 75, of Wellesley; Pablo Domingo Maceira, 39, of Roslindale; Peter MacGillivray, 60, of Boston; Yihong Zou, 30, of Boston; Boya Zhou, 27, of West Roxbury; Kerry Wu, 54, of Natick; and Mark Zhu, 29, of Lincoln. Only two of the accused sex buyers, Han and Zhu, appeared in court with their attorneys last month. A few attorneys entered the courtroom alone on their client's behalf. Several other accused sex buyers and their attorneys altogether failed to show up in court. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
