The attorney for a Tucson couple at the center of an alleged prostitution ring withdrew a motion to get $15,000 cash and two vehicles returned to her clients.
Clarissa Lopez and Ulises Ruiz also lost a home and hundreds of items in a Jan. 27 raid by Tucson police, as part of a three-year investigation into a string of illegal massage parlors they say the couple operated.
In April, the coupleβs attorney, Cornelia Honchar, petitioned to have the assets returned. She asserted that the petition to seize assets was untimely and that she hadnβt received all the documents from the county prosecutor in the case, Faten Barakat-Nice.
The items taken in the raid were put into evidence for the criminal investigation at that time, Barakat-Nice said. A release of evidence from a criminal investigation could have been authorized by the detective working the case at any time until it was officially seized for the forfeiture a month later, she said.
In March, Detective Shane Barrett, who was investigating aspects of the case related to racketeering offenses, passed off the investigation to forfeiture detectives who officially seized the items.
After the state presented its case, Honchar withdrew her claim. However, she indicated in court that another motion to get items returned to her clients might be filed. βThe continuing issue is the cash that was seized,β she said.
The investigation of the coupleβs business, By Spanish, began in November 2011 when police began receiving tips.
Officers say they learned the details of the business through a confidential informant and Lopez herself, including expecting employees to pay a $40 βcutβ for each sexual service provided.
Police documents show that up to 15 women worked for the business. It operated out of several locations.
Investigators determined that Lopez and the other operator, Ruiz, had the potential to take in up to $250,000 per year based on the $40 cut, records state.
After more than three years of investigation, six locations connected to the business were raided with hundreds of items seized, including the cash and vehicles.
No arrests have been made.
Last month, Tucson Police Chief Roberto VillaseΓ±or confirmed for the first time that four police officers were being investigated as part of the case.
The investigation has been turned over to the Arizona Department of Public Safety to avoid a conflict of interest, and the results of that investigation are still several weeks away.
In early June, Tucson police released records that included the names of 14 men who were customers of By Spanish.
The new records include men who told detectives they worked for the Tucson Fire Department as well as several other local fire departments. The men also said they worked for the Border Patrol, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, a Tucson school, and one man said he is a pastor at a local church, the records show.
Tucson City Attorney Mike Rankin has said the city has declined to pursue charges, saying that the information provided by investigators was insufficient.
