PHOENIX - Tracy Elise, who served as head of the Phoenix Goddess Temple, was sentenced in Maricopa County Superior Court on Thursday to 4 1/2 years in prison and 4 years of supervised probation.
She was found guilty of 22 counts including operating a house of prostitution, pandering, and money laundering.
Elise is a self-described "mystic mother" who was in charge of the Phoenix Goddess Temple that practiced sexual healing as a religion -- until it was raided by police in 2011. Prosecutors argued that it was a brothel.
She represented herself during the trial and claimed she is a priestess not a prostitute, and that the money from customers were not fees.
