星期四, 11月 09, 2023

北大新英格蘭校友會修章廢終身制 王裕華分析"君主的困境"

新英格蘭北大校友會理事長王開元。(周菊子攝)
                    (Boston Orange 周菊子劍橋市報導) 北京大學新英格蘭校友會115日在哈佛大學燕京圖書館召開2023年會,悼念學長李克強,揭櫫理事會一系列改革,還貼心安排2場學術、職業與創業發展講座,請教授校友談君主困境與古代中國啟示。

新英格蘭北大校友會會長杜廣延。(周菊子攝)
                    1994年成立,2012年在麻州正式註冊成非營利501 © (3) 組織的北大新英格蘭校友會,一直有熱心校友支持。2023年更是積極改革,不但在理事會中成立治理、學術、職業發展與創業、會員發展與權益保護、青年活動、公共關係、募資與財務等7個小組委員會,還修改章程,推出任期制,以越來越專業的模式經營校友會。

5日這天的年會,由目前在Meta擔任數據科學家的前會長羅嘉元擔任司儀,請出席者一起為北大學長,甫於日前辭世的前中國總理李克強,默哀悼念一分鐘。會場邊上特地擺出一盆花,豎起一塊白板,寫著「山高水長」,「立身之本,為政必親民,欲證天眼終在看。大道之行,有權莫任性,須信江河不倒流」的祭詞。

大校友會年會開幕時先為學長李克強辭世默哀。 (周菊子攝)

新英格蘭北大校友會公關委員會主席羅嘉元。(周菊子攝)
                        北大’97光華MBA的理事長王開元笑言自己是五差生,在一眾校友中年紀最大,來波士頓時間不長,英文不好,學歷最差,還不是北大本科生畢業,卻被推舉出來,但是他愛北大,而且他和北大的確淵源頗深,曾是北大MBA校友會、北大企業家俱樂部,北大創業訓練營等的創始理事,還是趙寶煦基金會、朱善利基金會、白衣天使基金會的發起人之一,所以決定試試。他希望能把校友會翻轉成為一個不只是服務校友,更是對社會有所貢獻和影響力的組織。

王開元向校友報告,這一屆的理事會共有理事8人,除了梁垣是他新邀請加入的之外,包括劉軍,吳琼,羅嘉元、單銘、欒甡、唐建新,都是舊人。歷任會長、理事長,長達28年的趙平,轉任高級顧問,仍負責和北大聯繫。前會長臧充之因刻在他州任教,也轉為顧問。前會長彭竟宇出任理事會秘書。

王開元介紹北大校友理事新屆理事。(周菊子攝)
                  理事中的欒甡是治理委員會主席。會中由他主持,校友們舉手,通過了修改版章程。他說明這屆校友會章程的最大變動是廢除了理事會終身制,容許會長一職連任一屆。

哈佛政府學院終身教授王裕華。(周菊子攝)
              ‘09化院博士的校友會會長杜廣延從202211月接任會長,迄今正好一年。他在報告中說明,北大校友會在過去這一年中舉辦了不下20次活動,有逾千人參加,也為校友會招攬來400多名新校友。展望來年,將繼續完善慶祝春節,划龍舟、年會、迎新燒烤等大型活動,加強不同年齡層校友之間的連接,增加和其他各個校友會、兄弟會之間的合作。

哈佛教授劉軍出任北大校友會學術委員會主席。(周菊子攝)
                這天的北大校友年會重頭戲之一,是請得哈佛大學政府系終身教授,’99級北大校友王裕華,去年出版了一本「The Rise and Fall of Imperial China (中華帝國的興衰)」。他從比較政治學角度,以中國古今為例,暢論「君主的困境:來自中國古代的啟示」。他表示自己從小喜歡看帝王故事,所以剛上研究院時就著手研究古代帝王,當時還有同學問為什麼放著那麼多當代領導人不去研究,然而隨著時日遷移,他越來越覺得自己的研究很有當代感。台下的北大校友們聽到這,爆笑了起來。

頒獎感謝學術講座講者。 (周菊子攝)
                  王裕華從皇帝退位原因、方式說起,指出在非因自然因素死亡的皇帝中,有26.95%是被身邊的人謀殺或奪權,也因此從中國古代歷史可得到的一個啟示是,外患不如內敵。他用統計數據及圖表,簡潔、有趣的敘述他那300多頁的書,講的就是國家要強盛,君王必須有一個能幹的精英團隊來治理國家,但這樣一來,君主的權力勢必受到精英的威脅或限制,如果君王想要最大化自己的權力與影響力,通常就難以留住精英在身邊治國,於是乎國強君弱,君強國弱成了歷代君主的困境。

吳琼(左起)代表校友會,感謝李允中、柏力、權奇敏擔任創業座談講者。
(周菊子攝)
                 北大校友會這天還請前輩學長分享經驗。學術職業發展講座有哈佛大學統計系和生物統計系教授劉軍,布朗大學物理及工程系教授唐建新,布朗大學生物統計系教授吳志瑾分享走學術這條路都會面對那些處境。創業發展座談則是請到Conifer 生命科學集團執行長李允中博士,NanoMosaic執行長權奇敏博士,以及北大中文系畢業,旗下有1100家連鎖店的速8 (Super 8) 經濟型酒店創辦人柏力(Mitch Presnick)。

欒甡出任治理委員會主席。(周菊子攝)
          北大校友會在年會這天還頒獎感謝贊助商,對校友會有特別貢獻者,並歡迎當年畢業於西南聯大附中,和北大教授聞一多等人曾是鄰居的Biscom創辦人,現已年逾90的何曙光,以及大紐約北大校友會理事長黃河教授、華府的北大律師校友出席。

      北大新英格蘭校友會網址為   https://www.pkuaa-ne.com
(更新版)

梁恒是募資及財務委員會主席。(周菊子攝)4
吳琼是職業發展與創業委員會主席。(周菊子攝)
唐建新教授是校友會會員發展與權益保護小組委員會主席。 (周菊子攝)

MBTA查理卡網站11月15日起更新 用戶需重新登記

            (Boston Orange 編譯) 麻州地鐵 (MBTA)  宣佈推出”MyCharlie”網站新介面,為乘客提供現代化的查理卡登記、訂購月票頁面。

               MBTA總經理及執行長伍偉華 (Philip Eng)表示,這是MBTA持續改善乘客體驗感的行動之一。

             對現有的MyCharlie (我的查理卡) 用戶來說,所有的帳號資訊會自動轉進新網站。使用者只需要設立一個新的MBTA帳號,使用原有的電郵地址作為其查理卡帳號。這變動將使得用戶不再能夠在網上用MyCharlie為他們的查理卡充值。在CharlieTickets上的通勤火車、渡輪、快速巴士套票,仍然能夠在網上購買,commerce.mbta.com.

             以前的MyCharlie網站將從20231115日起停用。

            新的MyCharlie網站將允許用戶:

註冊多張卡片並在一個地方查看它們;

保護他們的 CharlieCard 餘額免遭丟失、被盜或損壞;

快速申請更換卡;以及

只需點擊幾下即可註冊自動付款。

經由舊的MyCharlie自動每月更新的套票,將在1115日以後停止更新。套票會到月底都持續有效,但用戶將需要在新網站上註冊為自動付款,已持續每月更新。

持有減價票的用戶,可以在網上登記,並於1115日後登入mycharlie.mbta.com,探索新功能。

麻州地鐵未來14個月逐步維修取消慢速區 大波士頓商會讚透明、負責

             (Boston Orange 綜合編譯) 麻州地鐵 (MBTA) (9) 日宣佈,在未來14個月中,將逐步封閉4條地鐵路線中的某一段落來做維修工作,以廢除讓大波士頓人都已經麻木了的慢速區。

            在麻州地鐵系統中,約有20%的路段目前是限速區,逼使地鐵因為這限制,行駛速度低至每小時3英里,其中有些仍待維修的工程,擱置在那兒已經一年多了。麻州地鐵總經理伍偉華 (Philip Eng)說,從現在到2024年,要把紅橘綠藍這4條地鐵線,每條線的部分路段各封閉幾天,目的是把整個地鐵系統重新恢復到全速行駛。

            這新計畫奠基於上個月,麻州地鐵關閉JFK/UMass (甘迺迪/麻州大學)Ashmont車站之間的紅線地鐵,,以及整個麥特潘 (Mattapan) 纜車線 (Trolley) 16天,廢除了12個以上的所有慢速區,使得整個行程更快的經驗。

            伍偉華在今年4月上任第一天時就誓言,要把麻州地鐵什麼時候會維修,以取消每一段速限的日程告訴民眾。

            不過現在這做法,象徵了地鐵處理其結構問題的方法,有了根本性的轉移。長久以來,麻州地鐵都選擇在有問題的地區,減慢地鐵速度,而不是即時做非常需要的維修。甚至在聯邦交通管理局去年申誡麻州地鐵未適當維修車軌時,麻州地鐵當局都依再拒絕提供有關慢速區的資訊,不讓大眾知道問題嚴重到什麼程度。直到2月時,麻州地鐵才開始公佈慢速區數據。

            即將發生的地鐵路段關閉,將包括所有4條地鐵線的部分路段,從綠線地鐵開始,麻州地鐵計畫在1127日至125日之間,關閉北車站和Kenmore站之間路段,然後在12111220日之間關閉河畔 (Riverside)Kenmore車站之間路段。麻州地鐵早前宣佈,這個週末會關閉橘線地鐵Oak Grove和北車站之間路段,以及在1118日至19日中,關閉紅線地鐵JFK/UMass和公園街 (Park Street)車站之間路段。

            伍偉華表示,這計畫涉及短期疼痛和長期益處。麻州地鐵表示,在地鐵路段關閉期間,乘客的出行選擇替代方案,他們還在最後確認中,可能包括穿梭巴士服務,以及增加其他形式的服務。忽略了大多數的

            麻州地鐵委外製作的一份報告指出,麻州地鐵負責監管軌道安全的道路維修部 (Maintenance of Way department)功能不彰,負責檢查基礎架構的道路維修部員工也些甚至不明白自己的職責,複雜化了麻州地鐵的改善營運行動。在34月中,麻州地鐵在5次不同事件中,都極為危險的幾乎撞到員工。9月時又有至少3件類似個案,使得聯邦交通管理局 (FTA)限制麻州地鐵在營運時間內如何檢查及維修車軌的方法。

            伍偉華說,MBTA新聘的結構長Doug Connett將領導軌道維修項目。MBTA的新任工程長Sam Zhou表示,MBTA計畫明年廢除152個限速區,而且已在2024年排定188天工作。

            明年紅線地鐵會看到最多服務中斷,從25日起,排有67天的工作,其中有9天是維修Alewife和哈佛車站之間路段。

            MBTA另外安排了58天的綠線維修,預定從13日開始,有10天要暫停北車站和Kenmore車站之間的服務,並把E線延長到Heath街,把B支線延長到Babcock街。

            最長的單一路段暫停服務,將適從220日起,長18天的綠線維修,包括C支線的CopleySt. Mary街之間路段,以及B支線上延長到Babcock街,D支線延長到Brookline Hills等。

            橘線約有39天的工程,從318日起,有3天,HaymarketJackson Square站之間要暫停服務,在明年5月到10月間,每月一次的還會有4次的橘線暫停服務。

            藍線部分,麻州地鐵計畫在4月份內,在機場和Wonderland車站之間,暫停服務3天,在Bowdoin和機場站之間也將進行維修,但MBTA還未明確列出適什麼的服務會暫停。

            伍偉華也說,波士頓城中區的服務也會受影響,以因應HYM公司的拆除政府中心停車場。

            大波士頓商會執行長James E. Rooney為了麻州地鐵的宣佈取消慢速區和加強服務,發表了一份聲明,稱麻州地鐵公佈的計畫有明確目標及期限等細節,提高了麻州地鐵的透明度,彰顯了承擔責任意願,令人鼓舞。他表示商會將繼續倡議透明及問責,以確保居民、工人及雇主都了解如何修復及加強麻州地鐵的安全可靠性,也讓人對麻州地鐵的未來有更多信心與信任。

The tentative 2023 Construction Work Schedule is as follows:   

  • On the Green Line:
    • North Station to Kenmore/Heath Street, Babcock Street
      • November 27, 2023 - December 5, 2023
    • Riverside to Kenmore
      • December 11, 2023 - December 20, 2023

The tentative 2024 Construction Work Schedule is as follows:   

  • On the Red Line:
    • Alewife to Harvard
      • February 5 - February 13, 2024
    • Park Street to JFK/UMass
      • May 1, 2024 - May 8, 2024
    • Alewife to Kendall/MIT
      • July 8, 2024 - July 23, 2024
    • JFK/UMass to Braintree
      • September 3, 2024 - September 18, 2024
    • Kendall/MIT to Broadway
      • October 15, 2024 - October 20, 2024
    • Broadway to North Quincy
      • December 1, 2024 - December 6, 2024
    • Harvard to Park Street
      • December 14, 2024 - December 19, 2024
         
  • On the Orange Line:
    • Haymarket to Jackson Square
      • March 18, 2024 - March 21, 2024
    • Sullivan Square to Back Bay
      • May 28, 2024 - June 6, 2024
    • Wellington to North Station
      • July 20, 2024 - July 27, 2024
    • Oak Grove to North Station
      • August 17, 2024 - August 22, 2024
    • Back Bay to Forest Hills
      • September 25, 2024 - October 5, 2024
         
  • On the Green Line:
    • North Station to Lechmere
      • November 12, 2024 - November 25, 2024
    • North Station to Kenmore, Heath Street, Babcock Street  
      • January 3, 2024 - January 12, 2024
    • Copley to St. Mary's, Babcock Street, Brookline Hills
      • February 20, 2024 - March 8, 2024
    • Boston College to Kenmore
      • July 31, 2024 - August 9, 2024
    • Cleveland Circle to St. Mary's
      • October 28, 2024 - November 2, 2024
         
  • On the Blue Line:
    • Airport to Wonderland
      • April 9, 2024 - April 12, 2024
    • Bowdoin to Airport 
      • After Revenue Service Construction Work (Night Orders)

麻州政府撥款500萬元助65非牟利組織支援小企業發展

Healey-Driscoll Administration Awards $5 Million to 65 Nonprofits to Support Small Business Development  

Grants Through Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation Will Fund Technical Assistance, Training, and Other Resources for Small Businesses  

BOSTON — Today, the Healey-Driscoll Administration announced $5 million in grants to 65 organizations across the state through the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation Small Business Technical Assistance (SBTA) Grant Program, which provides funding to nonprofits to help entrepreneurs start, grow, and sustain successful small businesses in Massachusetts.  

“The success of Massachusetts small businesses is essential to the health and prosperity of our state and the vibrancy of our local and regional economies,” said Governor Maura Healey. “This investment through the SBTA Grant Program will help even more small businesses in our state develop new skills, overcome barriers to success, and access much-needed capital to drive job creation and growth across Massachusetts.”

"Innovators thrive in Massachusetts, and with this funding we’re ensuring that entrepreneurship remains an accessible path for everyone,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “We’re excited to see how this funding will empower diverse communities and nonprofits to drive our state’s economic progress forward.” 

The SBTA grants range from $21,000 to $122,500 and will help nonprofits provide critical services to small businesses in their communities, with a particular focus on businesses owned by women, people of color, immigrants, veterans, and other traditionally underrepresented populations. SBTA grant recipients include community development corporations, micro lenders, chambers of commerce, and organizations focused on improving and transforming local economies by supporting entrepreneurs in their efforts to start and grow businesses. The list of grant recipients is available on the MGCC website.  

“Small businesses are the backbone of their communities, employing nearly half of the Massachusetts workforce and making up the majority of the businesses in our state,” said Secretary of Economic Development Yvonne Hao. “These grants will support nonprofits that are dedicated to helping small businesses thrive, and we remain grateful to these organizations for their partnership in generating the job and economic growth that propels our state economy forward.”  

“The SBTA Grant Program meets small businesses where they are, in their neighborhoods, and delivers education and support to their front door and in their first language,” said Larry Andrews, MGCC President & CEO. “The program continues to provide opportunities for entrepreneurs in the state’s under-resourced communities and offer vital assistance that would otherwise be out of reach for many small businesses.” 

Since its inception, SBTA grant funding has supported 33,000 businesses and 43,000 jobs by providing $34.7 million through 404 awards to nonprofits. In 2022, 47 percent of SBTA grant funding supported businesses in low- to moderate-income communities, with 65 percent targeting minority-owned businesses and 51 percent targeting women-owned businesses. For more information on the SBTA Grant Program, read MGCC’s 2023 Impact Report

About Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation 

MGCC is a quasi-public economic development agency under the state’s Executive Office of Economic Development that supports small business development, particularly for small businesses owned by women, people of color, immigrants, and other underrepresented groups. MGCC offers working capital, loan guarantees, and targeted technical assistance to solve financial and operational problems for small businesses, works with traditional financial institutions to make challenging loans to small businesses bankable, and engages with community development corporations and other nonprofits to provide financing for projects that create jobs and help small businesses thrive. For more information, visit EmpoweringSmallBusiness.org.

麻州長Healey提歷史性法案 改善退伍軍人福祉

 Healey-Driscoll Administration Unveils Historic Legislative Package for Veterans in Massachusetts 

 

BOSTON — Governor Maura T. Healey today filed legislation to increase benefits, modernize services and promote inclusivity for Massachusetts veterans. An Act Honoring, Empowering and Recognizing Our Servicemembers and Veterans (HERO Act) will have positive impacts for hundreds of thousands of veterans living in Massachusetts, including nearly 30,000 women veterans and thousands of LGBTQ+ veterans. This historic legislation marks the first time in 20 years that a Massachusetts Governor has specifically introduced a comprehensive and expansive legislative package dedicated to the welfare of veterans 


Some key provisions of the legislation include expanding access to behavioral health treatment, increasing benefits for disabled veterans, bolstering support for businesses that hire veterans, updating the definition of a veteran, expanding the scope of the Veterans Equality Review Board, initiating a pilot program for LGBTQ+ couples denied IVF reimbursement by the Veterans Health Administrationand codifying medical and dental benefits. 


"Our veterans have sacrificed so much for our country, and this transformative legislation marks an important step toward ensuring that Massachusetts supports them in return,” said Governor Healey. From day one, our administration has been committed to revitalizing veterans' services in Massachusetts and ensuring that every one of these heroes receives the benefits, resources and support that they deserveI’m grateful to Secretary Santiago for his leadership of our state’s first veterans secretariat and look forward to collaboration with our legislative partners on this historic bill." 


 "By promoting inclusivity and expanding benefits, we're not only showing our gratitude to veterans but also addressing their evolving needs,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. This legislative package represents a significant step forward in the care and support we provide to our veterans, particularly for women and LGBTQ+ veterans." 


"Modernizing veterans' services is essential in ensuring our veterans receive the support they deserve,” said Secretary Jon Santiago. “We've identified areas where we can make meaningful changes, from enhancing benefits to providing much-needed behavioral health care." 

The HERO Act encompasses 17 spending, policy initiatives, tax credits, and statute changes organized into three categories: 

Benefit Expansion 

  • Expands access to Behavioral Health Treatment: Allows veterans to be reimbursed for visits to outpatient behavioral health providers. 

  • Increases the Disabled Veteran Annuity: Increases the annual annuity for veterans with a 100% service-connected disability, surviving spouses, or Gold Star Parents from $2,000 to $2,500. 

  • Increases the Vet-Hire Tax Credit: Increases to $2,500 a tax credit for small businesses hiring chronically unemployed or low-income veterans. Eligible veterans include those receiving SNAP benefits, chronically unemployed veterans, and unemployed service-connected disabled veterans. 

  • Increases access to the Active-Duty Buyback program: Lengthens the timeframe for veterans in public service to participate in the Active-Duty Service Buyback program and allows retroactive participation for veterans who missed the buyback opportunity. This program will enable veterans to purchase up to four years of active-duty service time toward their state retirement.  

  • Prevents the "COLA Cliff": Ensuring that a cost-of-living adjustment in Social Security benefits will not affect veterans' eligibility for Chapter 115 benefits in the middle of the state fiscal year.  

  • Increases Local Flexibility for Veterans Property Tax Exemptions: Creates two separate local options. The first allows municipalities to double the veteran property tax exemption without doubling all other exemption clauses. The second ties the annual property tax abatement amount to inflation, allowing exempted property tax amounts to increase with inflation. 

  • Eliminates the Fee for Specialty License Plates for Veterans: Waives specialty license plate fees on specialty veteran license plates and creates a new woman veteran license plate decal.  

Commitment to Inclusivity and Greater Representation 

  • Broadens the Chapter 115 Definition of Veteran: Aligns the state Chapter 115 program definition of a veteran with the United States Department of Veteran Affairs definition. This change allows more veterans to be eligible for annuity, Chapter 115 benefits, access to the Massachusetts Veterans Homes, and other state-provided benefits. This only applies to EOVS programs and does not affect any other agency or entity.  

  • Expands the Scope of the Veterans Equality Review Board (VERB): Expands the scope of the Board beyond ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ discharges to include discharges related to Military Sexual Trauma, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Traumatic Brain Injury, mental health conditions, or HIV discharges.  

  • Expands the definition of a veteran dependent: Expanding the Chapter 115 definition of "dependent" to support more dependents based on the Family Court definition. 

  • Updates Dependent Residency Requirements to Align with Current Practices: Updating dependent residency requirements to align with current practices. 

  • Implements IVF Reimbursement for Same-Sex Couples Denied Reimbursement by VA: Launching a pilot program to provide IVF reimbursement to affected veterans while establishing a working group to explore long-term solutions in response to the federal policy excluding same-sex couples. 

Modernization of Veterans Services 

  • Codifies Dental Assistance Benefits: Ensuring veterans receive essential dental care by codifying dental benefits for Chapter 115 recipients. 

  • Codifies Medical Assistance Benefits: Providing consistent care to veterans by codifying medical assistance benefits. 

  • Codifies Authority for Veterans Cemeteries: Ensuring proper management and care of veterans cemeteries by codifying the authority for EOVS to continue administering and maintaining the state’s two Memorial Veterans Cemeteries. 

  • Modernizes statute language for inclusivity and standardization: Revise Chapters 115 and 115A to ensure gender-neutral and inclusive language while removing antiquated references.  

  • Initiates a Study on the Use of Alternative Therapies for Veteran Mental Health Disorders: Establishing a working group to study the potential benefits of alternative therapies, such as psilocybin, in treating veterans suffering from mental health disorders. 

A full breakdown of the legislation provisions can be found here 

星期三, 11月 08, 2023

涉嫌跨州經營高端妓院 3名亞裔被捕

                 (Boston Orange 編譯) 美國檢察官麻州辦公室今 (8) 日發佈新聞,3名亞裔涉嫌在大波士頓至東維琴尼亞州等地經營高端妓院,顧客包括民選官員、高科技及製藥公司主管、醫生、軍官、持有安全許可的政府合約商,以及教授、律師、科學家等。

             麻州代理美國檢察官Joshua S. Levy的辦公室表示,已逮捕這3人,分別為41歲的麻州劍橋市居民Han Lee,花名”Hana”68歲的加州Torrance居民 James Lee,以及30歲的Dedham居民Junmyung Lee

            Han LeeJunmyung Lee今早被捕,James Lee則是加州中央區被捕。

            根據控訴文件,這幾名被告至少是從20207月開始經營一個跨州的賣淫網路,在包括麻州劍橋市、水城 (Watertown),以及維琴尼亞州FairfaxTysons等多州經營。

             據說,這幾名被告一起在多州建起妓院架構,用來遊說,引誘主要是亞裔的婦女到麻州及維琴尼亞州賣淫。

             他們租用高端公寓大樓,購置家具,定期維修的作為妓院場所。這些妓院的月租金,甚至高達3664元。起訴書還說這幾名被告整合了這些婦女的飛行旅程和交通,准許她們在妓院所在過夜,讓她們不必另找住處,因而引誘了婦女加入他們的賣淫網。

            Joshua S. Levy表示,嫌犯主要是在bostontopten10.com browneyesgirlsva.blog這兩個網站上刊登廣告,顧客都先得填一份調查表,確認其身份,並提供包括駕照照片、雇主名稱,信用卡資訊,而且經常是付月費,維持長期關係。

               這兩個網站都張貼有在高端專業攝影棚拍攝的亞藝模特裸照,作為門面,還列出婦女的身高、體重及乳房尺寸,已及全裸或半裸的照片。網站上的婦女照片頻繁更新,還加註即將來到,或以道等說明。

             這些嫌犯還持有本地妓院電話號碼,用來和經過驗證的客戶溝通,安排約會,視乎服務內容,索價大約每小時350元以上到600元不等,而且要付現金。檢方稱這些嫌犯收到的巨額現金拿來買匯票,或用私人晚帳方式存入自己的私人銀行帳戶,藉以隱藏來源。他們也用這些匯票來付房租及妓院的設施。

             在檢方調查中,這賣淫網的客戶什麼樣的人都有。檢方目前仍在繼續調查,籲請民眾發電郵到 USAMA.VictimAssistance@usdoj.gov.,通報訊息。

            脅迫或要脅人從事非法性交易活動,可判入獄20年,監管3年,罰款25萬元。

根據起訴文件,在麻州的妓院地址為劍橋市的Fawcett90號,109435530等數個單位,以及水城Bond66號的221單位。

根據證詞,調查人員已訪談了20多名嫖客。其中一名嫖客說,他是被帶到一個特定的公寓,然後收到妓院內有那些選項的簡訊。