Curtis, who resigned from his state House seat after the scandal went public, wrote to prosecutors Monday asking that the case be dropped.

"My wife, daughters and son-in-law have paid a very high price for my actions and also the actions of the defendants," Curtis wrote to prosecutors. "My family and I have found ourselves closer as a result and are settled into a new chapter in our lives and are moving past this incident."

"Testifying at a trial would be more detrimental than good," Curtis wrote. "I am sure you can understand that this has been a very traumatic event for all of us."

Deputy Prosecutor Rachel Sterett said her office could not pursue the case without Curtis' participation. Sterett said they do not even know where Curtis is living and that he is believed to have left the state.

The Curtis scandal broke last October after Curtis called police to report Castagna for having stolen his wallet after a late-night sex rump in a Spokane hotel room. Curtis claimed Castagna demanded $1,000 to stay quiet about their rendevouz while Castagna says he took the wallet because Curtis refused to pay a promised $1,000 for unprotected sex.

Castagna's attorney, David Partovi, said Monday that he had been demanding the chance to interview Curtis.

"I got a call from the prosecutor's office that the interview with Curtis was not going to happen because he was not participating," Partovi said. "Cody's very happy."

In addition to being a gay escort, Castagna has also had a "career" in porn movies. In a production called Damon Blows America, Castagna appears as a San Diego dude that gets serviced by Damon.

Last update: 01-31-2009 14:07