Cambridge city councilor charged in brothel bust says "I will be forever sorry"
Cambridge City Councilor Paul Toner is now facing charges for allegedly buying sex at a high-end brothel that was busted by federal authorities in 2023.
Toner is a former head of the Massachusetts Teachers Association and has a wife and two children.
In a statement to WBZ-TV, Toner said, "I caused pain for the people I care about most. For that, I will be forever sorry. This is an ongoing legal matter and I will not have further comment at this time."
His defense attorney, Timothy Flaherty, said he is "a man of high character."
"Paul Toner is a person I have known my entire life," Flaherty said. "He's a man of high character. He loves his family and his family loves him. None of us are perfect. He's a hard-working city councilor, and the City of Cambridge is lucky to have him."
Statement from city councilors
In a statement to WBZ-TV, four Cambridge city councilors said the charges against Toner "are deeply concerning."
"Councilor Toner has the right to a fair process through the judicial system. Any violation of the law would violate the oath of office he took upon taking office. Solicitation of prostitution is illegal in Massachusetts. If convicted, his actions would not simply be a lapse in judgment of a private individual but a crime and a violation of the trust placed in him by the public," Councilors Burhan Azeem, Patricia Nolan, Sumbul Siddiqui and Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler said in a statement.
"Illegal prostitution is inherently exploitative and is not a victimless crime. We stand with those hurt by exploitation. We call on Councilor Toner to consider the impact of this situation on the City Council and his role as a leader in the community."
Eleven more so-called "johns" are now facing criminal charges after probable cause hearings on Friday. Cambridge police say these men paid hundreds of dollars per hour for sex or the "girlfriend experience" with young Asian women inside Cambridge apartment complexes.
None of the suspects showed up for their hearings Friday, most sending just their lawyers.
Their absence infuriated activists, who hung signs outside court in protest.
"People are waking up and they're ordering, like they're ordering food off our menu," advocate Chanta Carter said.
Boston area brothel bust
Another dozen or so alleged clients are expected in court again next Friday. These are probable cause hearings, after the hearings are when the alleged clients have been charged. They will be arraigned on the charges later this spring.
In total, 28 alleged clients have been connected to a sex ring run out of upscale apartment buildings in Cambridge, Dedham and Watertown, as well as Virginia.
Last week, the names of 12 other suspects were read aloud in court in Cambridge. Among the individuals charged were a pharmaceutical CEO, a dentist and finance executive.
Authorities say the brothel network catered to "wealthy and well-connected" customers. At the time of the brothel bust in November 2023, former U.S. attorney for Massachusetts Joshua Levy said the customer list also included doctors, lawyers, accountants, military officers, government contractors, professors and scientists.
Many of them fought to keep their names out of the public record.
"They will undoubtedly lose their jobs, lose their professions and have their lives ripped apart," attorney Benjamin Urbelis, representing five of the men, argued before the Supreme Judicial Court.
The high court ruled, however, that the media would have access to preliminary court hearings that determine whether the alleged clients will face charges.
Han Lee, Junmyung Lee and James Lee have pleaded guilty for their roles in running the alleged brothel network.
On Wednesday, a federal judge sentenced Han Lee to four years in prison and ordered her to pay more than $5.4 million. Prosecutors say the defendants convinced women to travel across state lines for the prostitution network, and required sex buyers to give their employer information and references as part of a screening process.
