11 More Men, Including City Councilor, Named and Charged with Soliciting Prostitution Through Brothel

A Cambridge clerk magistrate charged another 11 men — including Cambridge City Councilor Paul F. Toner — with patronizing the high-end brothel ring that operated in parts of Cambridge.

Friday’s probable cause hearing, the second of three for the 28 alleged clients, was held to determine whether there was enough evidence to proceed with criminal charges.

None of the men have been found guilty of a crime or gone to trial yet. The 23 men accused so far are scheduled to be arraigned in May, and none appeared in-person for Friday’s hearing.

Attorney Lorraine D. Belostock Steven Riel represented Nathaniel Welch, Jeffrey Henry, Frederick G. Rosenthal, Timothy Ackerson, and Matthew E. Fulton.

“These are mere allegations. All of my clients are presumed innocent under the law and we look forward to vigorously representing our clients in court,” Belostock told reporters outside of the courtroom.

Other lawyers representing Anurag Bajpayee, Toner, and Paul E. Grant urged Casey to reject probable cause, though she ultimately proceeded with criminal charges for all three men. Lawyers for Howard Redmond and James C. Cusack Jr. — a former oncologist at Massachusetts General Hospital — also did not appear.

Still, Toner is the highest profile individual to have been identified so far.

Cambridge Police Department Lieutenant Jarred Cabral read similar police reports for each of the men, detailing text exchanges between their cell phones and a “brothel phone” operated by one of the brothel ringleaders.

Many of the men allegedly agreed to pay more than $300 for an hour-long “girlfriend experience,” which Cabral said “blurred the boundaries” between a financial transaction and romantic relationship, typically including commercial sex.

The nature of the text exchanges was nearly identical to those from the 12 men charged in last week’s hearing.

The men communicated with the operators of the “brothel phone” when they arrived at 90 Fawcett Street and waited for permission to enter, according to Cabral.

Upon arrival, the men were given orders to keep the brothel under the radar — don’t be loud in the hallway. Watch out for neighbors. If there are people around the unit, leave.

The police reports presented to the clerk magistrate cited surveillance footage collected from 90 Fawcett St., in Cambridge Highlands, which showed the men entering and exiting the building at times consistent with the text exchanges with the “brothel phone.”

The remaining five clients are scheduled to appear at probable cause hearings on March 28 at the Cambridge District Court’s satellite branch.

—Staff writer Matan H. Josephy can be reached matan.josephy@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @matanjosephy.

—Staff writer Laurel M. Shugart can be reached at laurel.shugart@thecrimson.com. Follow them on X @laurelmshugart.