Arizona- from www.eastvalleytribune.com- Authorities announced Friday they made 19 more arrests and 43 criminal indictments in the ongoing Desert Divas investigation dubbed by law enforcement as the largest prostitution ring in Arizona history.

The arrests and indictments announced by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office covered four states and marks the first time clients are facing charges. Nearly 100 people have now been indicted in the investigation.

The arrests and indictments, which were made and handed down by a Maricopa County grand jury throughout this week, included Jillian Lybarger, 23, a detention officer from the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.

The people arrested and indicted on suspicion of prostitution-related offenses included prostitutes, four alleged VIP customers and people who were operating the business. The arrests and indictments spanned Arizona, Colorado, Florida and Washington state, according to the county attorney’s office.

Three of the accused VIP customers indicted on charges of prostitution-related charges, including money laundering, pandering and illegal participation in an enterprise are: Lloyd Harris, 31, Harley Clayton Lisherness, 67, and Rodney Joseph Rosta, 62. Their city of residence was not available.

The fourth VIP customer, who was not named, had not been served Friday with his indictment, according to the county attorney’s office.

Overall, the Internet-based operation included more than 100 prostitutes and generated $250,000 a month, according to Phoenix police, who began investigating the operation in 2007.

“This case is beyond prostitution. This was a major criminal syndicate that allegedly made millions of dollars. I am proud of the work done by our prosecutors and the skilled detective work of the Phoenix Police Department breaking the back of this syndicate,” Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas said in a statement.

May 7th: Sheriff’s Worker Also Indicted:

A Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office detention officer was among five women arrested in another sweep of prostitution-related arrests in connection to the ongoing Desert Divas investigation.

The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office announced that one of its own employees, Jillian Lybarger, 23, was arrested by Phoenix police Wednesday on suspicion of felony and misdemeanor offenses in connection to the investigation.

Lybarger was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit illegal control of enterprise, illegal control of enterprise and money laundering, as well as a misdemeanor count of employee of a house of prostitution, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.

The arrests are part of what authorities have called the largest prostitution bust in Arizona history.

The four other women arrested Wednesday on suspicion to prostitution-related counts were:

Keri Ashcraft, 23, Andrea Barraza, 23, Savannah Hasse, 21 and Leslie Wolf, 21.

Lybarger, employed by the sheriff’s office for less than a year, was placed on administrative leave.

Phoenix police began executing search warrants at residences throughout the Valley in August 2008 and made more than 50 arrests after conducting a yearlong investigation into the criminal syndicate. During that time, investigators discovered that the Internet-based escort service operation covered three states, involved more than 100 prostitutes and generated $250,000 a month. A number of the women working as prostitutes were still living at home with their parents, authorities said at the time.

Nine people who pleaded guilty last month in connection to the operation – including three of its ringleaders and a Valley radiologist – are facing prison time for their roles in the operation.