8 More Defendants in Cambridge Brothel Case Agree to Pretrial Probation

Eight more defendants charged for their involvement in a brothel network that opearated in Cambridge accepted pretrial probation agreements on Friday at the Cambridge District Court.

The only remaining defendant in the case is Cambridge city councilor Paul F. Toner, whose pretrial hearing was rescheduled to August 14.

All defendants have agreed to the same pretrial probation terms, which include 24 hours of community service and a $2,000 court fee paid to one of two organizations focused on human trafficking prevention. By agreeing to the terms, the defendants avoid a conviction or admission of guilt.

If the defendants successfully follow the terms of their agreements, Judge David E. Frank — who has presided over all of the men’s cases — will dismiss the charges. If any of the defendants violate the terms of probation, their cases will proceed to trial.

The defendants are also prohibited from contacting sex workers in the nine-month probation period, during which they are also required to complete Spectrum Health Systems’ Community Approach to Reduce Demand program — a one-day module on the impact of prostitution on communities, which includes personal testimonies from survivors of sexual exploitation.

The $2,000 court fee will go to one of two nonprofit organizations focused on preventing commercial sexual exploitation: My Life My Choice, based in Boston, or Living in Freedom Together, based in Worcester.

Middlesex County Assistant District Attorney Jasmine Ortiz served as prosecutor against the eight defendants at the Friday hearing.

The high-end brothel network operated in parts of Cambridge and Washington, D.C., suburbs between at least June 2020 to November 2023. The men involved with the brothel were charged with sexual conduct for a fee, a misdemeanor that rarely results in jail time.

There are 34 total defendants named in the case, two of whom are Harvard affiliates: Mitchell H. Rubenstein, an assistant professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School, and James C. Cusack, an oncologist and former Harvard Medical School professor.

Twenty defendants appeared for their pretrial hearings last week, and four more appeared on Wednesday.

Toner, the only remaining defendant, appeared for his pre-trial hearing on Tuesday, but his lawyer, Timothy R. Flaherty, asked the court to require more informtion from the prosecutor, and the hearing was moved to later this month.

Toner was charged in March for allegedly paying for sexual services from the brothel network more than a dozen times between January and September 2023, and

He is the only elected official in the case, and has faced calls to resign from constituents and the majority of his fellow city councilors. Though Toner has resisted pressure to step down, he does not plan to run for reelection in the fall.

—Staff writer Megan L. Blonigen can be reached at megan.blonigen@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X at @MeganBlonigen.

—Staff writer Caroline G. Hennigan can be reached at caroline.hennigan@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @cghennigan.