LINDENWOLD, N.J. — Police made a surprising discovery when they busted the alleged madam of a prostitution ring called "August Playmates": the woman running the show was an 80-year-old grandmother. Authorities arrested Vera Tursi at her apartment during a sting operation last month to crack down on illegal prostitution rings posing as legal escort services. Police said Tursi could be the oldest person arrested for such a crime in New Jersey.Undercover police said they first began to wonder about the age of their suspect when they called the escort service as part of their sting operation. Some things that tipped them off were the way she seemed to have difficulty breathing, and the old-fashioned manner of her speech. "You get a feel for how old someone is when you talk to them," State Police Detective Sgt. Thomas Cornely told The Sunday Star-Ledger of Newark. "She sounded like an 80-year-old woman."
How right he was. Police say Tursi ran the business from her two-bedroom apartment, and took $60 of every $160 she charged clients for one hour with a call girl. Tursi uses a walker to get around and frequently needs an inhaler to help her breathe. Although police arrested her when they came to her apartment May 2, they decided not to bring her to the state police barracks because of her poor health. Law enforcement officials say Tursi was very upfront about her business, telling them she took it over a few years ago from her daughter who died. According to police, Tursi said she needed money to subsidize her Social Security checks.