Palm Springs- Arraignment proceedings for three of five defendants in jail on allegations that they ran a large multi-state prostitution ring based out of Palm Springs were continued this morning.
Ofer Lupovitz, 43, Eliran Vintrov, 28, and Moti Vintrov, 33, briefly appeared this morning before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Janice McIntyre.
Their co-defendants, Boaz Benmoshe, 44, and his wife, Melanie Ann Smith, 24, were scheduled to appear before McIntyre at 1:30 p.m.
Granting requests from the prosecution and the defense, McIntyre agreed to continue today’s scheduled arraignments to Sept. 5, when a preliminary hearing was also scheduled.
Authorities expect McIntyre will do the same thing for Benmoshe and Smith this afternoon.
Eleven people have been charged, as of today, in this case. The charges, all felonies, include pimping, pandering, perjury, loan fraud, money laundering, grand theft, and filing false tax returns.
On Friday, an 11th defendant, Arielle Yori, 24, surrendered to authorities and was arraigned, according to the state’s Franchise Tax Board.
Yori is accused of failing to pay more than $18,000 in state taxes for her involvement in the ring, officials said.
She is free in lieu of $848,000 bail, officials said.
According to the tax board, Benmoshe and Smith owe more than $54,000 in unpaid taxes, while the Vintrovs owe more than $100,000 combined.
Authorities allege that the ring, the largest enterprise of its kind in the Inland Empire, operated across California, as well as in Oregon, Nevada and Arizona.
They said it was fronted by an escort service, Elite Escorts, headquarted at 707 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, in Palm Springs.
Earlier this month, investigators confiscated 80 phone lines operated out of the Palm Springs office and seized more than a dozen computers, along with real estate and luxury cars belonging to the defendants from across the Coachella Valley.
Authorities believe the defendants used proceeds from the prostitution ring to live extravagant lifestyles.
Defense attorneys for the Viintrovs declined to comment this morning.