Mar 24, 2025

Paul Toner in 2010.Essdras M Suarez/Globe Staff In the aftermath of Cambridge City Councilor Paul Toner being publicly identified as one of the most frequent patrons of the brothel ring that shuttled, exploited and trafficked women among local luxury apartments, the scandal continues to be met with a mixed response, with a few voices calling for his resignation, while others back the 58-year-old Democrat to stay on the city’s legislative body. Toner is alleged to have exchanged hundreds of texts with the brothel hotline over nine months in 2023, according to a police report made public Friday, buying sex at least 13 times. In the wake of those revelations, the Eva Center, a Boston-based organization that works with exploited women, called on Toner to resign or be removed. “The immediate resignation of Councilor Paul Toner is not just a necessary step; it is a moral imperative,” executive director Desiree D. Demos said in a statement several hours after the hearing. “We must stand together against gender-based violence and ensure that our leaders reflect the values of respect, dignity, and accountability that our community demands.” Get Starting Point Enter Email Sign Up But that is hardly a universal sentiment, particularly in Toner’s hometown of Cambridge, which has a reputation as a bastion of progressive politics. Advertisement Cambridge School Committee member Elizabeth Hudson said she would “sooner make sex work legal than call for Paul Toner to resign.” “This guy knows his stuff; he’s always one of the most informed, most thoughtful, and most practical voices in the room — especially on the ‘everyday infrastructure issues’ that may not be ideologically or politically sexy, but which constitute the preponderance of the work required to make this a great place to live,” she said. “As a resident, I have an interest in how he runs the City, and my interest stops there; his personal life is absolutely none of my business.” Toner, a second-term city councilor in Cambridge and former teachers’ union leader, is one of 23 men publicly accused as a frequent patron of the brothel. On Friday, new names revealed in court included Toner, James C. Cusack, Jr., a surgical oncologist; and Anurag Bajpayee, the co-founder and chief executive of Woburn-based climate tech firm Gradiant. Another hearing this coming Friday is scheduled to include more names of people who allegedly frequented the network of brothels that catered to an elite clientele. Advertisement Toner, as the only public official named so far, has the highest profile of the men accused publicly. Shortly after he was named in a clerk magistrate’s hearing Friday afternoon, Toner released a statement saying, “I caused pain for the people I care about most. For that, I will be forever sorry. This is an ongoing legal matter and I will not have further comment at this time.” A spokesperson for Toner declined to comment further on Saturday. Toner’s colleagues on the council have largely kept their powder dry. Several signed onto a joint statement calling the allegations troubling, but also noting that he “has the right to a fair process through the judicial system.” “If convicted, his actions would not simply be a lapse in judgment of a private individual but a crime and a violation of the trust placed in him by the public,” said Councilors Burhan Azeem, Patricia M. Nolan, Sumbul Siddiqui, and Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler in the statement released Friday evening. “Illegal prostitution is inherently exploitative and is not a victimless crime. We stand with those hurt by exploitation.” They called for Toner to “consider the impact of this situation on the City Council and his role as a leader in the community,” but they did not mention resignation in the statement. Sobrinho-Wheeler, in a separate statement, did call on him to resign. Councilor Catherine Zusy, though, said he should remain on the council. She said Toner was a “real leader” on the legislative body, and that he was smart, conscientious, and hard-working. Advertisement “He adds extraordinary value,” said Zusy. “He did something really stupid. No, I don’t think he should resign from the Council. We need him.” Cambridge’s mayor, E. Denise Simmons, said in a statement that it is “essential we respect due process and uphold the presumption of innocence as the legal proceedings unfold.” “Councilor Toner and his family must determine how they wish to proceed and as mayor I intend to provide them the appropriate space and privacy to navigate this difficult time, to the extent possible,” she said. Kimberly Sansoucy, executive director of the Cambridge Commission on the Status of Women, declined to comment directly on Toner’s case. She said the city organized a group that includes advocates, business leaders, and law enforcement to come up with changes to cut down on the exploitative illegal sex trade. “What’s important to understand is the systemic nature of commercial sexual exploitation in our communities,” she said. “The work of the Women’s Commission and our Stakeholders group centers on supporting those who have been harmed while working to prevent future exploitation.” The Title IX Aurelia Advocates, a sexual violence advocacy organization at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, urged the council to call for Toner’s resignation, saying his connection to the case “signals that those involved with sexual violence are rewarded with positions of power.” “Rewarding this behavior is a slap in the face for survivors,” read a statement from the organization. “These women will never be in a position to defend themselves to the degree that Toner will. Survivors of sexual crimes are often shamed or discredited.” This brothel ring, operating out of apartment buildings in Cambridge, Watertown, and suburban Washington, D.C., came to light when federal authorities raided it in November 2023. At the time, prosecutors charged three operators and said they’d seek accountability for men who’d bought sex there. The story made national news after authorities said that the brothel’s detailed record keeping showed them that the clientele included elected officials, government contractors with security clearances, doctors, lawyers, and professors. Advertisement All three operators have pleaded guilty, and ringleader Han “Hana” Lee, 42, was sentenced last week to four years in federal prison . Authorities have said it was one of the largest and most lucrative rings on the East Coast. This is a case, advocates for trafficked women say, that highlights the exploitative nature of the illicit industry and the power imbalances between the men buying sex and the women selling it. In December 2023, Cambridge Police, working with federal law enforcement, sought charges in state court against 28 men. Authorities have said they chose these men out of the 2,800 contacts in the brothel’s cell phone because they had exchanged the most text messages with it. But their names remained private after their initial hearings were delayed for more than a year in the face of a series of appeals. This month, 23 of the men have since had their initial hearings, and at least five more whose names still private remain. Only two of the 23 men showed up to their court dates, with most sending their attorneys in their stead. The first dozen hearings took place on March 14 , and did not include high-profile men. Among the 12 were a radiological tech, a dentist, and a local businessman. Along with Toner this past Friday, though, was Anurag Bajpayee, an MIT-educated chief executive of a billion-dollar local tech once described as a “unicorn.” Advertisement He’s accused of buying sex at least 11 times, according to a police report that said he exchanged 501 texts with the brothel hotline. Gradiant’s technology, based on the natural evaporation and rainfall cycle, cleans wastewater at factories and manufacturing facilities for corporate clients including Coca-Cola, Micron Technology, and Pfizer. The Globe reported in 2023 that the company employed more than 900 people and had more than doubled its annual revenue for each of the previous four years. Neither Bajpayee nor Gradiant responded to requests for comment on Friday or Saturday. On Saturday, the cell listed for Bajpayee had been disconnected. During the hearing on Friday, Bajpayee’s attorney Daniel Gaudet sought to poke holes in the police narrative, saying evidence around his client was inconsistent. Bajpayee was not present for the hearing. “Probable cause is lacking,” Gaudet said. “It’s not enough.” Jeremiah Manion and Travis Andersen of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Sean Cotter can be reached at sean.cotter@globe.com . Follow him @cotterreporter . Danny McDonald can be reached at daniel.mcdonald@globe.com . Follow him @Danny__McDonald . Follow Us