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Alex Cabrero ReportingThe owners of an escort service operating in a Cottonwood Heights neighborhood face charges of running a prostitution ring. Several months ago, Salt Lake County deputies went into the home and collected lots of evidence. Now its two owners have to appear in court tomorrow.
This past April is when that bust happened, but all along Tiffany Curtis and Steven Maese, the two owners of the Doll House, said there wasn't anything the state could charge them with. Today, though, the state got them on several charges.
It's an ordinary house in an ordinary neighborhood. What was happening inside, though, according to the state, was anything but ordinary.
Bob Stott: "This has culminated after several months of investigation, yes."
The Salt Lake County District Attorney's office believes it now has enough evidence to go after the two people who worked out of the home, Tiffany Curtis and Steve Maese, for running a prostitution ring.
The Utah Doll House is supposed to be just an escort business, but the state says former escorts have told them there's a lot more going on. In court documents field today, H.T. who worked as a Doll House escort between January and March of 2006, states she did have sex with clients for money.
Another escort, J.H., states that she did have sex with men for money and would pay Curtis, the owner, 20-percent of the tips. Another escort, D.T., states that she would have sex for money while working for the doll house.
Greg Skordas, Doll House Owners' Attorney: "The state has attempted to shut down their business before without success. I don't believe this will have any success either."
Greg Skordas represents Curtis and Maese. He questions last April's search of the home.
Greg Skordas: "In fact, it appears this investigation was conducted illegally. The search of their business was conducted illegally, and so the evidence that would've been seized was seized illegally."
Curtis and Meese are facing four counts of exploitation of prostitution, one count of a pattern of unlawful activity and one count of money laundering. They'll be in court tomorrow morning to face those charges.
In the meantime, they've filed their own lawsuit, asking for the items taken during that search to be returned to them.
