CAMBRIDGE — The first group of men accused of purchasing sex from a Greater Boston brothel network were expected to appear in court Friday, but nearly all of them declined to attend their initial hearings.
As reported by The Boston Globe, all but two of the accused skipped their probable cause hearings in Cambridge District Court, which marked the first public disclosure of alleged brothel clients’ names. Authorities are seeking charges against 28 individuals, with additional hearings scheduled throughout March.
At least one defense attorney argued that his client’s absence was in protest of Clerk-Magistrate Sharon Shelfer Casey’s decision to make the hearings public—a move reinforced by a November ruling from the Supreme Judicial Court (SJC).
“With great respect to the decision of the Supreme Judicial Court, my client continues his objection to this hearing being public, and I would ask the clerk to reconsider,” said Howard Cooper, an attorney representing John Doran, one of the accused.
Casey proceeded to file charges against all 12 men whose cases were called Friday.
Authorities seek charges in high-end brothel network
Speculation over the men’s identities has swirled since November 2023, when federal prosecutors announced the arrests of three people accused of operating a high-end brothel network out of apartments in Cambridge, Watertown, and the Washington, D.C., suburbs. At the time, then-U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Joshua Levy said the alleged clients included “wealthy and well-connected” individuals, such as politicians, military officers, doctors, lawyers, and business executives.
In court, Cambridge Police Lieutenant Jarred Cabral detailed police reports outlining communications between alleged clients and brothel operators. He also explained commonly used terminology, including the “girlfriend experience” and the use of “donations” as a term for payments.
Attorneys argue for leniency
Friday’s proceeding in Cambridge District Court was a show-cause hearing, where a clerk-magistrate determined whether there was probable cause to issue criminal complaints against the accused sex buyers. While defense attorneys sought to keep the hearings private, the Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) ruled that the case’s public significance justified transparency, stating that former U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy’s announcement “raised legitimate public concerns about potential favoritism and bias if such hearings were held behind closed doors.”
Defense attorney Kevin Mahoney, representing David LaCava, who was absent from Friday’s show-cause hearing, urged Clerk-Magistrate Sharon Shelfer Casey to exercise discretion. He pointed out that while federal authorities estimated over 2,800 verified brothel customers, only 28 men have been accused in Cambridge District Court.
“Not everybody is going to be exposed here criminally. Not everybody here is going to be prosecuted. Not everybody here is going to be penalized,” Mahoney said. “So it’s just a very small number of people that are at risk here, and my client is not one of the individuals, madam clerk, that anybody in the media is going to be interested in. He’s a software engineer. He doesn’t hold any government clearances.”
Other attorneys made similar pleas, according to The Boston Globe.
Defense attorney Steven Goldwyn, representing Mark Zhu, emphasized his client’s lack of a criminal record, stating, “He has 0.0 criminal record of any sort.”
Meanwhile, Jason Han was one of the two alleged clients to appear in court. His attorney, John Pensa, acknowledged probable cause but argued that Han should be given special consideration due to his career in health care.
“He’s given a ton back to this community,” Pensa said. “No substance abuse issues. No mental health issues. Just an upstanding citizen.”
Pensa warned that if Han lost his license to work as an interventional radiologic technologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, it would be a loss for Boston.
“We deserve—the Commonwealth of Massachusetts deserves—to keep this young health care hero employed,” he added.
Casey directly addressed Han in response.
“This is a blip in the radar, and I know that you’re going to get through it. OK?” she said. “You’re going to do the right thing, alright? It’s a misdemeanor. You’re going to get through this.”
Defense challenges evidence
Attorney David Yannetti, representing Jonathan Lanfear and Pinhao Chao, argued that the evidence against his clients was insufficient.
“This is all, in my view, rank speculation,” Yannetti said, disputing the allegations against Chao.
Accused men named in court
Below are the names of the 12 men whose probable cause hearings were held Friday:
- Kerry Hk Wu, 54, from Natick
- John J. Doran, 75, from Wellesley
- Boya Zhou, 27, from West Roxbury
- David LaCava, 46, from Waltham
- Mark Zhu, 29, from Lincoln
- Jason Zixuan Han, 29, from Roxbury
- Peter H. MacGillivray, 60, from Boston
- Yihong Zou, 30, from Boston
- Pablo Domingo Maceira, 39, from Boston
- Jonathan Lanfear, 56, from Winchester
- Pinhao Chao, 32, from Allston
- Patrick Walsh, 66, from Swampscott
More hearings to come
Authorities have scheduled additional hearings later this month, during which more alleged brothel clients are expected to be publicly identified.
