A Cambridge magistrate criminally charged 12 of the 28 alleged customers of a high-end brothel network that operated in parts of Cambridge and Washington D.C. suburbs at a Friday morning hearing.

The hearings are held to determine if criminal complaints will be issued against the alleged customers of the commercial sex ring law enforcement shut down in 2023.

The clerk agreed to file charges against the first 12 men whose cases were called, saying in court that there is “sufficient evidence to establish probable cause.”