Two people at the center of a years-long investigation into a Tucson prostitution ring have been indicted on multiple felonies, records show.
Ulises Ruiz and Clarissa Lopez are both facing charges of illegal control of an enterprise, keeping a house of prostitution, receiving the earnings of a prostitute and money laundering, according to Pima County Superior Court documents obtained by a public records request.
Lopez also has been charged with two felony counts of pandering, for recruiting women to โlead a life of prostitution,โ the documents show.
Police had been investigating the businesses since November 2011, after receiving complaints from neighbors about suspected illegal activities at several residences associated with the pair.
In Jan. 2015, Tucson police raided 10 properties believed to be associated with the illegal massage parlor, โBy Spanish,โ seizing two vehicles, a house, cash and hundreds of items, ranging from a leather paddle to womenโs panties, according to court documents.
The investigation revealed that the couple was using a pet store and a salon that they owned to launder money, records show.
In the months following the raid, multiple employees of the Tucson Police Department were caught in the fallout, having been identified as customers of the business or of knowing of the operation but not reporting it.
The investigation also revealed that government employees, area firefighters, Border Patrol agents and Air Force personnel were customers. In June, Tucson police released 14 names of men they interviewed, but none was charged with a crime.
Lopez and Ruiz turned themselves in at the Pima County jail and were released without bond.
It was unclear Tuesday if either has an attorney.
