A New York judge has ordered a Scottish madam accused of running a high-class prostitute ring in a Manhattan brothel to stand trial later this year.
Prosecutors claim Anna Gristina, from Kirkliston, near Edinburgh, led a double life as a suburban mother and the mastermind of a multimillion-dollar escort service for wealthy clients.
Gristina, 44, who describes herself as a matchmaker, was arrested in February after a sting operation.
She had asked Judge Juan Merchan to dismiss the case on the grounds that the undercover police officer involved in the sting did not have intercourse, but only paid to watch two women become intimate.
But this was rejected and the judge ruled the trial will start on October 15.
Prosecutors say Gristina, who did not speak during the hearing, peddled sex from a small apartment on the Upper East Side - where many of the city's most famous and wealthy residents live.
Her co-defendant, Jaynie Baker, has apparently cut a deal with prosecutors and could testify against her former friend.
She was accused of making millions of dollars, with Baker acting as the booker for escorts - some of whom were allegedly underage girls.
The case has stirred fevered speculation in New York over the identity of clients at the alleged brothel.
New York's last big prostitution scandal in 2008 led to the resignation of then state governor Eliot Spitzer after he was exposed as a client of call girls charging thousands of dollars a visit.
So far, Gristina - who emigrated from Scotland as a teenager - has refused to name names. However, the wall of silence could crack at trial.
"We're locked and loaded and ready for war," her lawyer, Norman Pattis, said on Thursday.
The sting operation that led to Gristina's arrest was the culmination of a five-year operation, according to officials.
Gristina allegedly also claimed to enjoy close relations with law enforcement officers who she said would tip her off about any dangers.
She is currently free on a \$100,000 bond after spending four months in the harsh Rikers Island jail, where she was held while facing an initial \$2m bail.
If Gristina is found guilty, she could be sentenced to up to seven years in prison. She also faces deportation, Mr Pattis said.
Her husband Kelvin Gorr, who was also in court, said Gristina "was running a dating service". "Basically she has some very wealthy, powerful friends, and she knows a lot of beautiful women," he said.
