Following three days of "show cause" hearings this month, charges were brought against more than 30 men who allegedly bought sex from a high-end brothel ring operating in Greater Boston.

Although federal prosecutors said in 2023 the ring catered to clients that included elected officials, military officers and government contractors with security clearances, Cambridge City Councilor Paul Toner is the most public among the clients to face charges. No further cases related to the network are expected.

Thirty-three men were charged with the misdemeanor crime of soliciting sex for a fee and will be formally arraigned now that the Cambridge clerk magistrate has decided that the evidence warrants charges. If found guilty, it's unlikely these charges would result in jail time. One man was granted a continuance and will return for a show cause hearing next month.

The brothel also operated in Virginia, but no alleged customers there face charges.

Law enforcement officials said no charges will be filed because there is not enough evidence. Under Virginia law there must be proof not only that money was exchanged, but also that a "substantial" act took place in relation to solicitation or prostitution.

"The case was reviewed by Fairfax prosecutors as well as the Virginia attorney general, and both agencies concluded that there wasn't enough evidence to bring charges," said Laura Birnbaum, deputy chief of staff for the Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney. "This is because of the nature of Virginia's solicitation statute, which requires evidence of not only a transaction, but also the subsequent act."

Massachusetts prosecutors have charged the three leaders of the brothel network. Han Lee pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four years in prison for running the network. Associates Junmyung Lee, of Dedham, and James Lee, of California, also pleaded guilty to charges related to the scheme.

Authorities say the brothel made more than $5.6 million over three years by enticing primarily Asian women to engage in prostitution. The women have not been charged or identified.

Some advocates have pushed for a change in how prostitution cases are handled — seeking more public charges to be brought against customers of sex work, rather than the workers, as a way to deter exploitation or trafficking of women.

The Boston Sex Workers and Allies Collective, which advocates for sex workers and decriminalizing adult consensual sex work, pointed out that no trafficking charges have been filed. The group said it's not clear how the brothel enticed women to work there and criminal charges may not deter trafficking.

"These women’s voices have so far been absent from the details provided to the public, making it difficult to ascertain whether this was a case of sex trafficking or of consensual sex work," said a statement from the Collective in advance of the final hearing. "Criminalizing either party — worker or client — involved in commercial sex makes everyone less safe, as it prevents the reporting of violence and abuse to law enforcement."

Typically, clerk magistrate hearings are not public. But WBUR and other local media outlets sought to keep the hearings open due to the public interest in the case. The Supreme Judicial Court agreed that the hearings should be open .