Woman accused of running brothel out of a Phoenix home

Woman faces charges for allegedly running a brothel

Prosecutors say 67-year-old Elizabeth Ann Caratachea maintained a house of prostitution and additionally charged her with money laundering. FOX 10's Lindsey Ragas has more.

PHOENIX - Court documents filed with a Maricopa County court are providing details into a case involving a brothel that a Phoenix woman allegedly ran. 

What we know:

The suspect, identified as 67-year-old Elizabeth Ann Caratachea, is accused of illegal control of enterprise, maintaining a house of prostitution, and money laundering. All charges are felonies.

In court documents, investigators wrote that Caratachea ran a brothel in a residential area near Greenway Parkway and Cave Creek Road, and that the operation began since March 2015.

One neighbor said she has been in contact with Phoenix Police and the FBI about what she's seen outside the home for years.

Neighbors did not want to go on camera but say they saw police rip out the camera wiring around Caratachea's home after they took her into custody.

Elizabeth Ann Caratachea

What allegedly happened?

Dig deeper:

An investigation into the operation began in September 2023, when Phoenix Police's Human Exploitation and Trafficking Unit received information via police report of a possible sex trafficking ring and prostitution.

"The complainant told [a police officer] that she had recently gone through her husband's cell phone and found messages involving money being exchanged for sexual acts," a portion of the court document reads. "The complainant, through her own research, determined the messages were associated with an Elizabeth Caratachea."

In the following months, police said they received "numerous other complaints of prostitution activity" related to Elizabeth Caratachea and the house, which included a call for service that was done after a person called police and said he believed he saw underage girls inside the home.

"Patrol officers from the Phoenix Police Department conducted a [welfare check] at the residence. They contacted [Caratachea], who allowed them inside," a portion of the court documents reads. "They noted several security cameras outside, a room full of high-heeled shoes of different sizes, and a television mounted in the kitchen broadcasting the live security cameras."

A neighbor also told the officers that she had seen expensive cars parked outside the home, and that she had seen young women at the home. Police, however, said no underage females were found.

Detectives said during the course of the investigation, they found over a thousand escort ads that contained nude or partially-nude photos of Caratachea. In January 2024, an undercover detective tried to contact Caratachea via an online ad. While Caratachea eventually refused to meet with the undercover detective, Phoenix Police were contacted by a Tempe human trafficking detective, who indicated that Tempe Police had also received prostitution complaints involving a woman named "Lisa Marie Heart."

Police said Caratachea called herself "Lisa Marie Heart" in an online advertisement.

In addition, investigators said that during the course of their unrelated investigation, Tempe Police managed to learn the identity of a woman who had. at some point, prostituted out of the house that Caratachea allegedly operated out of. In an interview, she said that she and other women would see sex buyers at the home, and Caratachea would provide them with a room and other items for use during the acts of prostitution.

Caratachea, investigators went on to say, would charge the women 10% of the amount they made from acts of prostitution.

Eventually, after many months of surveillance, a search warrant was served at the place on May 15. Caratachea was also arrested.

"[An] interview was later attempted with Caratachea, and she involved her Miranda rights," read a portion of the court documents.

What's next:

A judge has set a cash-only bond of $200,000 for Caratachea. Should she post the cash-only bond, she would be placed under house arrest.

Caratachea's attorney was present for her first court appearance, pointing out that she is a grandmother.

"I've known her for a long time. She doesn't have any criminal record. She has a family. She's lived in the state of Arizona for probably 30 years. She has grandchildren, she has children, she has loved ones. She's not a flight risk," the attorney said.

In addition, Caratachea was ordered to surrender all passports at her next court date. A preliminary hearing has been set for May 23.