Cops raid Phoenix Goddess Temple after six-month investigation. The "temple" had been operating in Phoenix since , but authorities didn't become aware of it until residents began complaining. After a local newspaper visited the alleged brothel and published an in-depth story, police launched a six-month investigation culminating in the arrest of 18 people Wednesday. They are still hunting down the other It was the largest Arizona prostitution bust since authorities broke up the tri-state "Desert Divas" ring in Four of those indicted are men, but none of them are johns.
Charges include prostitution, pandering and conspiracy. During the investigation, police discovered the Goddess Temple was operating another alleged house of prostitution in Sedona, Ariz. Goddess Temple founder Tracy Elise, known within her business as "Mystic Mother," was one of the 18 arrested Wednesday.
She had also been involved with a similar alleged brothel in Seattle, Wash. The Goddess Temple first started operating in in a residential home, but police were unable to get into that location, Martos said.
The Temple workers eventually moved to Scottsdale, where authorities cited them for various permit issues before the organization finally settled in Phoenix and Sedona. The johns were paying prostitutes for sex. That's illegal. It's a blight on the community and we took action to take it down. Police obtained a search warrant after initiating several undercover deals and determining that the Temple Goddess employees had been trained to use evasive vocabulary.
The "temple" featured themed rooms in spaces that had once been individual offices. Martos said one of the rooms had a "water theme" with a whirlpool and waves painted on the walls.
