Desert Divas
Desert tales often include camels, hot sun, and sometimes even sandstorms. Then there were the Desert Divas. This Phoenix, Arizona prostitution ring was discovered and broken up by authorities in August of 2008.
Desert Divas was run by a man named Paul Nichta, from Paradise Valley, Arizona. There were a number of websites that make up this ring. A partial list is Desert Divas, AZ Confidential, Hips Tour and Escorts in Action. Paul had built up his renewed to cover clientèle nationwide from a base of operations in New Mexico, Arizona and Pennsylvania. The ring really had no official name, but because it was based in the desert city of Phoenix, the name Desert Divas from one of the web sites became the one most used by the media and police.
This now famous group set a few records. Desert Divas was part of the biggest prostitution investigation in the history of the state of Arizona. Many people were charged, including clients from out of state, Paul, and many of the girls who worked for the organization. As a result of this sting, three homes, a motorcycle, and eight additional vehicles will be sold at auction. $2000 was a typical night we pay for a woman who worked for this prostitution group. But it was nothing compared to the tips they can earn – up to $15,000 in a single evening.
The Desert Divas girls weren’t the usual suspects when you think about prostitutes. Some were as young as 18, while others were as old as 40. It seemed women from all walks of life became in the activities of this business which included escort services, dating services, pornography and live web cameras via their various web sites. Some of the websites included pay-per-view live sex action.
Indictments came in September for three men, including Paul Nichta, who ran Desert Divas. There were charges filed in both Arizona and New Mexico. Charges included racketeering, which is nothing more than the operation of an illegal business, in this case prostitution. It’s was college newspaper ads that first got many women involved in this operation. Most women warmed up with legitimate dating and R-rated WebCams before they graduated to full-fledged pornography and escorting.
Desert Diva was also the name of a pretty unlucky woman. A woman from Arizona has begun a service touting herself as the Desert Diva Assistant, a virtual personal assistant that conducts a variety of business tasks. The similar names caused a great deal of confusion. She received crank e-mails and phone calls, including from some lawyers claiming she had stolen a cat.
The world gets weirder and weirder. Desert Divas is par for the course.
