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Women In Desert Divas Raid From Diverse Backgrounds

POSTED: 4:13 pm MST August 6, 2008
UPDATED: 7:34 pm MST August 6, 2008

The women arrested in the largest prostitution raid in Arizona history range in age from 18 to over 40, police said.

VIDEO: Alleged Ringleader In Prostitution Raid Held On $1M Bond

Some of them are still living with their parents, while others are married.

Police said all of them worked as high-dollar prostitutes for a multimillion-dollar Internet-based sex-for-money operation based in Phoenix.

One of the businesses was called Desert Divas.

After a year-long investigation, police dismantled the operation on Tuesday that netted more than 20 arrests and millions of dollars in seized property, including high-end cars, weapons and homes.

Suspected ring leader Paul Nichta remains in jail on a $1 million cash bond.

Police said the company filmed pornographic videos in an Avondale home. An unassuming office space was home to the illegal escort business, police said.

Officers confiscated financial records and computers that reportedly hold the names of thousands of johns who used the service. The names on those ledgers will eventually be released.

Dr. Ross Levatter is one of the first names associated with the operation. He was arrested Tuesday at Mountain Vista Medical Center in Mesa where he has worked as a radiologist.

Lt. Bill Schemers, of the Phoenix police vice squad, said Web sites operated by the ring appeared to offer legitimate escort services at the outset. However, customers who paid a $30 monthly fee could access a companion Web site that showed women engaging in sex acts.

"Those women were also advertised as dates," Schemers said.

The women working for the alleged ring said they were paid well.

Two former escorts told police they earned about $2,000 a night, coupled with up to $15,000 nightly in tips.

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