Mesa police say that they began a prostitution ring investigation in June 2016 involving a condo near Rio Salado Parkway and Dobson Road in Mesa.
Police say they answered an advertisement on Backpage.com in the 'body rub section.' They made arrangements to meet a woman for sex at the condo. The woman detained by police reportedly told them that the condo owner, 75-year-old Floyd Eugene Warter, had a hidden lock box under the kitchen table where the woman would put his share of the profits. She also said that Warter frequently paid for her to Uber to the condo from her apartment and she would put the Uber receipt in the lock safe as well.
Police say Warter's Uber account showed about 50 transports to and from the condo.
Surveillance of the property also allegedly showed multiple men and women coming to and from the condo in 30 and 60-minute increments.
Police say inside the condo were massage tables in two bedrooms.
Several people who live near the suspect say they had a hunch something out of the ordinary was going on at the home.
"Their behavior is what made me suspect they didn't want to get caught doing whatever they were up to. You know avoiding eye contact, not wanting to say hey," said Jason, a neighbor of the suspect. "There were always different cars coming and going. They moved quickly from car to door."
Upon his arrest on April 12, Warter reportedly told police that he placed the ads and rented the condo, "so his female friends could perform massages at that location." He allegedly went on to describe 'massage' as various types of sex acts.
Warter also reportedly named seven adult women that were working at his condo, saying he would get $60 a day per girl for one customer and $100 a day per girl for more than one.
Warter has been charged with pandering, money laundering and maintaining a house of prostitution.
