First posted: 1/20/11 12:00 AM EST

SARAH PALIN's husband TODD is caught up in a sleazy sex scandal, The ENQUIRER has learned!

Political bloggers are digging into incredible claims that the "First Dude" - father of the couple's five children - cheated on his wife with a female massage therapist who was busted for prostitution!

The scandal not only has the potential to sabotage Palin's possible 2012 White House bid, but also threatens to destroy her marriage, sources say.

While the story heats up on the internet, The ENQUIRER has uncovered official documents confirming the woman's arrest, and learned police have confiscated physical evidence that could tie Todd to an alleged extramarital affair.

We have also uncovered documents that show the woman  - identified by bloggers as Shailey Tripp - contributed free massages to an anonymous person working for Sarah's campaign for governor of Alaska.

While representatives for Todd Palin vehemently deny he cheated on his wife, allegations of his extramarital affair surfaced on Jan. 4 when an anonymous tipster sent out messages to news outlets making the allegation using the e-mail address thepalinmorals@hotmail.com.

"My sources reveal that a massage therapist and computer technologist, SHAILEY TRIPP, had an affair with Todd Palin that lead (sic) to her arrest March of 2010," claimed the anonymous e-mail.

"According to the tenants in the building of her offices, they saw Todd come and go often and heard noises that sounded like someone was having sex. It was the same tenants who called the police on her."

An ENQUIRER investigation has confirmed Tripp, 36, was arrested on March 4, 2010 in Anchorage and charged with maintaining a house of prostitution.

Tripp pleaded no contest on June 13, 2010 with sentencing set for June 15, 2011.  She agreed to complete 80 hours of volunteer service, not post advertisements on CraigsList and pay a fine of $500.  If she meets with these conditions, Tripp can withdraw her plea at the sentencing hearing and the case will be dismissed, records show.
UPDATE 4.30 pm est 1/21/11: Since the first hours of this breaking story ignited a firestorm of controversy key mainstream media The New York Daily News, Vanity Fair magazine, Yahoo News, The Huffington Post and Forbes Magazine,  among others, have cited The ENQUIRER's bombshell investigation into the Palin cheating scandal.

In fact,  Forbes suggested that "in the Palin-built political arena of 2011, Todd Palin’s affair might be the just the ticket Sarah needs to be the first single mother in the Oval Office."

Interestingly enough, The NY Daily News reported that when the Palins were confronted with cheating allegations in both 2008 and 2009,  the then-Alaskan Governor was quick to issue a denial.

The News reported that neither Todd nor Sarah Palin have yet to comment on The ENQUIRER's report.