Men accused in Cambridge brothel ring named

The big picture: Court magistrate Sharon Casey found "sufficient evidence to establish probable cause" to bring charges against all eight defendants whose cases were heard, though most did not appear in person.

• Hearings are being held over three consecutive Fridays, so there will be more names to come.

Zoom in: Defendants identified in court Friday were John J. Doran, David LaCava of Waltham, Jason Han of Concord, Peter H. MacGillivray of Boston, Kerry Wu, Boya Zhou, Mark Zhu of Lincoln and Yihong Zou.

The backdrop: Three others have already pleaded guilty to running the brothel network that shuttled women between luxury apartment buildings in Cambridge, Watertown, and the suburbs of Washington, D.C. before federal officers shut the ring down in 2023.

• Clients allegedly paid $350-600 per hour for sex.

What they're saying: Han's attorney John Pensa acknowledged the "alleged behavior is morally wrong" but called his 29-year-old client, a radiologic technologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital, a "young healthcare hero."

• Outside the courthouse, anti-exploitation activists shouted at the defendants as they exited.

What's next: The second of three hearings naming more defendants is scheduled for Friday, March 21.