Miami – from www.nbcmiami.com – Five Miami people were arrested in a multi-million dollar, multi-state prostitution ring that sent escorts throughout the country, federal officials said.

The group, part of a company called Miami Companions, were hit with charges including conspiracy to coerce and entice acts of prostitution, coercion and enticement of prostitution, and conspiracy to commit money laundering in what the U.S. Attorney’s Office Wednesday called “one of the largest prostitution organizations in the United States.”

The five charged were Gregory Carr (a.k.a. Paul Cutlass), 43, Laurie Carr, 39, Nayubet Loani Swaso, 24, and Michelle Matarazzo, 36, and Fabiola Contreras, 33.

All were arrested Wednesday in Miami, except Swaso, who was captured in Pennsylvania.

According to the Feds, Miami Companions, which was owned by the Carrs, sent call girls to Detroit, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Dayton, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis beginning in the “early 2000’s until March 2009.” In some locations, they even rented out “exotic beach houses, where clients exchanged money for sex,” according to the feds.

Swaso, the feds allege, was the manager of the overseas call center the Carrs used to coordinate getting the call girls across the country. Matarazzo was an office manager coordinated all the prostitutes’ travel plans, among other duties.

Contreras also helped manage some of the outfit’s business affairs and owns bank accounts in which some of the money from the ring was funneled into.

Feds say the Carrs put over $4 million into numerous bank accounts in the U.S., plus millions more in overseas bank accounts.

All five are scheduled to make and August 11 court appearance in Michigan, where the bulk of the prostitution occurred.

from UPI – MIAMI, July 22 (UPI) — A Miami escort service was a cover for a prostitution ring that sent women as far afield as Chicago, federal prosecutors charge.

The owners of Miami Companions and two of their employees were charged Wednesday with conspiring to coerce and entice prostitution and related charges, The Miami Herald reported. A fifth person was charged with conspiring to commit money laundering.

Investigators said the business was owned by Gregory Carr, 43, who also used the name Paul Cutlass, and his wife, Laurie, 39. Michelle Matarazzo, 36, allegedly managed the office, dealt with clients and made travel arrangements for women, while Nayubet Loani Swaso, 24, allegedly ran an overseas call center. Fabiola Contreras, 33, allegedly controlled bank accounts used to launder millions of dollars in profits.

Miami Companions allegedly set up sexual encounters at rented beach houses. The group also sent women to Boston, Chicago and the Detroit area on demand, investigators said.

On its Web site, Miami Companions claimed to be the “most prestigious dating service of its kind,” while saying that no illegal services would be provided.

from newstalkradiowhio.com – DAYTON, Ohio — Our partners at the Dayton Daily News say that the owners of a large Florida escort service regularly sent prostitutes to Dayton, Cincinnati and Cleveland over the past decade.

A federal indictment unsealed Wednesday is against Miami Companions. It does not say how often the company sent prostitutes to Dayton. But the company website shows that “Marina” is visiting this week, and “Andi” will be coming Monday.

The article by reporter Lou Greico says prices range from $325 for a “one-hour introduction” to $5000 for a “48-hour weekend getaway.”

The indictment was filed in the Eastern District of Michigan, and says Miami Companions is “one of the largest prostitution organizations” in the country. Four people are under arrest.

The indictment says that customers paid in cash or by credit card. The prostitutes kept 60% of the payment, minus 50% of travel and lodging costs.

The company began in 2001 and has a call center in Costa Rica. It also has “exotic beach houses” for customers in Mexico, Columbia, and Costa Rica.

The company had a password-protected database that contained information about the customer, where they worked, contact information, and sexual preferences. The database contains 10,000 names.