PD: House of prostitution busted after 2-year investigation
Posted:
Updated:
By FOX 10 News - Staff Report
SURPRISE, Ariz. -
The Champagne Room near Interstate 10 and 40th Street looks like a strip club, but police say it's actually a house of prostitution. Officers raided the building Tuesday and arrested four people.
It took two years of investigating for authorities to bust the place. Police say the business owner, her boyfriend, and two women who worked there as prostitutes have been arrested.
Phoenix police sent undercover officers inside the business. Customers were allegedly given a menu where they could pick from a variety of services.
"Would charge anywhere between $300 to $900 for specific sexual acts," says Phoenix Police Sgt. Steve Martos.
Police were first notified about this place after business owners and employees in the nearby industrial area complained.
"Some girls would stand on the street corner of 40th and flip signs to advertise the business, other girls just stand out front and try to get your attention as you drive by, they play loud music," says Shawne Wilson, who works nearby.
"We hardly saw them..they'd come out every now and then, but we thought it was just a strip joint because of the way they were dressed. They were dressed in nothing, but not in our wildest dreams did we think anything was going on, other than that," said a business owner who did not want to be identified.
Owner Janet Fiore, boyfriend Sterling Costa, and suspected prostitutes Margaret Pahssen and Tiphany Finklea are facing numerous charges.
$6,000 in cash was found inside the Champagne Room. A search warrant was also served on Fiore's home in Surprise, near 107th Avenue and Bell Road.
Police are now trying to track down other employees who may have worked there. More arrests are expected.
Tuesday, June 18 2013 4:55 PM EDT2013-06-18 20:55:38 GMT
A man accused of fatally shooting a gay man walking with a companion in New York City's Greenwich Village pleaded not guilty.
A man accused of fatally shooting a gay man walking with a companion in New York City's Greenwich Village afterward claimed that he opened fire because the victim "thought he was tough in front of his bitch," prosecutors said in court papers Tuesday.
Tuesday, June 18 2013 3:46 PM EDT2013-06-18 19:46:32 GMT
Photo courtesy of @N42_21_W71_04)
Riders should anticipate cancellations and delays on the Long Island Rail Road for the Tuesday evening rush. The railroad has canceled 21 trains that normally leave Penn Station between 3:27 and 7:01 p.m.
Riders should anticipate cancellations and delays on the Long Island Rail Road for the Tuesday evening rush. The railroad has canceled 21 trains that normally leave Penn Station between 3:27 and 7:01 p.m.
Tuesday, June 18 2013 3:32 PM EDT2013-06-18 19:32:12 GMT
NYC
Nearly 3 million New Yorkers' homes are now in evacuation zones that cover more than a third of the city's population, under new maps released Tuesday.
Nearly 3 million New Yorkers' homes are now in evacuation zones that cover more than a third of the city's population, under new maps released Tuesday.In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, officials said last month, the number of zones would double and encompass about 600,000 more residents.
Tuesday, June 18 2013 3:05 PM EDT2013-06-18 19:05:09 GMT
Police are looking for a man who stabbed another man in Times Square Tuesday afternoon, authorities said.The victim was stabbed in the chest, the NYPD and FDNY said.
Police are looking for a man who stabbed another man in Times Square Tuesday afternoon, authorities said.The victim was stabbed in the chest, the NYPD and FDNY said.
Tuesday, June 18 2013 1:18 PM EDT2013-06-18 17:18:24 GMT
It's a sight that can trigger dread. The low-battery message appears on your cell phone when there's no charger around.
It's a sight that can trigger dread. The low-battery message appears on your cell phone when there's no charger around. Now New York City has teamed up with AT&T to install 25 solar powered charging stations over the summer.
Tuesday, June 18 2013 12:20 PM EDT2013-06-18 16:20:04 GMT
The director of the National Security Agency said Tuesday the government's sweeping surveillance programs have foiled some 50 terrorist plots worldwide, including one directed at the New York Stock Exchange.
The director of the National Security Agency said Tuesday the government's sweeping surveillance programs have foiled some 50 terrorist plots worldwide, including one directed at the New York Stock Exchange.
