A pair of Massachusetts residents at the center of a multi-state prostitution scandal that prosecutors say catered to high-powered politicians, doctors and lawyers, waived their rights to preliminary hearings on the charges against them and asked for bail hearings later this month.

Han “Hana” Lee, 41, of Cambridge, and Junmyung Lee, 30, of Dedham, will remain in federal custody at least until their detention hearing, now scheduled for November 22, after they were charged by federal prosecutors with “conspiracy to coerce and entice to travel to engage in illegal sexual activity.”

Neither defendant spoke much during Monday’s proceedings, only acknowledging to U.S. Magistrate Judge David Hennessy — in Han Lee’s case, through an interpreter — that they had been advised of their right to a preliminary hearing, that they wished to see the hearing waived, and that they would wait to discuss pre-trial detention. Both left the courtroom in handcuffs and in the custody of U.S. Marshals.

“You guys know more than I do,” John Amabile, the attorney representing Junmyung Lee, told gathered reporters after leaving Worcester District Court. “I don’t have any more information than you do.”

According to Amabile, his client waived his preliminary hearing because there “was no rationale for having a hearing today.”

Han Lee’s attorney, federal defender Scott Lauer, did not stop to speak with reporters after leaving court.

Both Han Lee and Junmyung Lee were arrested in Massachusetts and along with a third person, James Lee, 68, of Torrance, California, are alleged to have operated “sophisticated high-end brothels in greater Boston and eastern Virginia.”

James Lee was taken into custody in California and will be extradited to the Bay State for trial at a later date.

“Commercial sex buyers allegedly included elected officials, high tech and pharmaceutical executives, doctors, military officers, government contractors that possess security clearances, professors, attorneys, scientists and accountants, among others,” Acting United States Attorney Joshua Levy’s office said in a statement.

According to court documents, the accused allegedly were at the center of a years-long prostitution ring operating brothels in Cambridge and Watertown, as well as in Fairfax and Tysons, Virginia.

The trio, court documents indicate, would “persuade, induce and entice women — primarily Asian women — to travel to Massachusetts and Virginia to engage in prostitution.” They rented high end apartments, paying as much as $3,664 per month in rent, in which the women would host clients.

Customers, none of whom have been identified by prosecutors, were apparently offered appointments with the women, provided details about their physical appearance as well as nude or partially nude photos. Customers were sent a “menu” of available services, “including the women and sexual services available and the hourly rate,” of up to $600 per hour “depending on the services.”

“The investigation into the involvement of sex buyers is active and ongoing,” Levy’s office wrote.

Brothel customers were verified by the brothel operators after submission of “their full names, email address, phone number, employer and reference if they had one,” according to prosecutors.

“Additionally, it is alleged that the defendants regularly used hundreds of thousands of dollars of the cash proceeds from the prostitution business to purchase money orders (in values under an amount that would trigger reporting and identification requirements) 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,” Levy’s office wrote.

If found guilty, each of the defendants faces up to 20 years in a federal prison followed by three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Their actual sentences would be determined by federal sentencing guidelines, according to Levy’s office.

Levy, along with Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England Michael Krol and Cambridge Police Commissioner Christine Elow, announced the arrests and charges last week. According to prosecutors the investigation used resources and personnel from the Central District of California, the Eastern District of Virginia, the U.S. Postal Service, and the Watertown Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey Weinstein of the Criminal Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Raquelle Kaye, of the Asset Recovery Unit, are prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.

This undated photo shows a screen shot of BEG blog that federal prosecutors say is involved in a sophisticated commercial sex ring in Massachusetts and eastern Virginia catering to high-end clients including elected officials and military officers. (AP Photo)