Scottsdale, the resort-like part of Phoenix. By resort-like, I mean it has a few golf courses and nice hotels, so the houses cost more. But it’s still really just a desert with houses. Scottsdale is known for something else as well, the Scottsdale Escort.
A coupe years ago, I wrote a blog post about married men who sleep with prostitutes. The article was getting so many comments that I did a follow up post on how to tell if your husband is seeing a prostitute. In addition to the myriad of comments, I was also surprised at how many emails I received asking my advice. I would try to write back from a guys point of view, but not letting the guys off the hook for their indiscretions.
It wasn’t surprising that many of these women complained about their husbands seeing escorts while traveling. What was surprising is the location that came up most. You would think Las Vegas, being a popular destination for conferences and other business travel would have topped the list, and it did make the top 2. But the number one city city continually referenced was Scottsdale Arizona.
Scottsdale offers many opportunities for business travelers. There are plenty of golf courses, and nice spas, and the night life isn’t bad. Maybe it’s due to the fact that it’s near the Tempe Arizona home of Arizona State University, widely believed to be the college with the hottest co-eds, but Phoenix, and Scottsdale are known for having the hottest strip clubs and escorts.
To be clear, prostitution is not legal in Scottsdale. Being a Scottsdale Escort would legally have to consist of having a nice dinner and maybe some dancing. Of course in reality it probably means something a bit more intimate.
In doing some research I found that it really is a popular destination for middle-aged guys looking for a good time after their golf games. I also found an interesting article from 2005 about a prostitution ring, or escort service as they liked to be called in the Yellow Pages, that was raided by local police
The service, “Touch of Class”, they seem to love the word Class, was raided and their management, who ended up being a family (creepy), was busted. The head of Touch of Class was Joseph Zahara, who ran the operation, and his loving wife Sheila Zahara was also arrested. Not to stop there, their son Robert Zahara and daughter in law Renessa Zahara were also busted. I’m not sure if Renessa was a Scottsdale Escort herself, or just helping run the phones. But her brother Anthony Guerrero was also arrested for helping out with the Tucson branch.
The Zahara’s partner, Jullian Carilicci and his girlfriend Regina Durkin were also arrested.
The business had been in operation since 1999, and police believed they had brought in $6.5 million in revenue over that time. Which honestly seems a bit low, considering they had 50 employees. One article actually states they had a day care service. Isn’t that nice?
Another sad statement on this whole thing is that the police spent 2 years working on this case. Way to go guys, I feel so much safer knowing a hooker won’t come to my hotel and screw me. Our tax dollars at work.
What do you think, is Scottsdale still a haven for prostitution? Any Scottsdale Escort stories to share?
