'D.C. Madam' believed dead

[alexmst]

(CNN) -- A woman who police believe to be Deborah Jeane Palfrey, known as the "D.C. Madam," was found dead in Florida Thursday, according to Tarpon Springs police.


Deborah Jeane Palfrey was convicted of running a high-powered prostitution ring.

The body has not been positively identified.

"Detectives are investigating an apparent suicide of a (white female) that appears to be in her early 50s," Tarpon Springs police said in a news release.

Palfrey, 52, was convicted last month in connection with a high-end prostitution ring catering to Washington's elite.

She was found guilty of of money laundering, racketeering and mail fraud. She was awaiting sentencing with a potential of 50 years in jail.

At least one lawmaker, Louisiana Sen. David Vitter, a Republican, turned up in the phone records of her business, Pamela Martin & Associates.

State Department official Randall Tobias resigned in May 2007 after confirming he patronized Palfrey's business.

She argued it was a legitimate, legal escort service

 

[alexmst]

I was worried my phone # was maybe on her list as I was living in D.C. back then. It was an old #, but still. Not sure if I used her agency or not during my time there.

Too bad if it was her (they say positive ID not made yet, hence my "if"). I guess dying before sentencing means no criminal record for her. The fact that the U.S. could have a possibly 50-year sentence hanging over her head for just being a madam is more than a bit harsh imho.

She did breach client confidentiality by offering her phone records to the media if they paid her for them, and that wasn't professional toward the clients on her part. She wrecked a couple of her client's careers as I recall.

Well, R.I.P. Deborah Jeane Palfrey.

 

[danmand]

Maybe Chuck was on the client list.

 

[landscaper]

amazing uow a suicide can solve all those horrible little problems lke a phone list being published.

 

[S.C. Joe]

Yep, sometimes a death can bring a smile to somebody face.

Its is B.S. thou that she was facing 50 years in prison-heck she was 52 years old. The USA has a problem with these sentences that go way tooo far.

 

[landscaper]

Somnetimes I think some of their sentences are just about right . I am thinking of life + 248 years for a child molester in Texas

 

[S.C. Joe]

But many aren't. For a "victim less crime" fine the lady for all the profit she made and oh I say 5 to 10 years in jail would be fair.

Heck, theres young people in jail for having tobacco underage! No shit, the judge gives them like 2-3 years probation and if they have just 1 slip up, they can get a few months in jail.

Is that fair?

 

[canada-man]

more reasons to not go to the U.S to look for SPs

 

[landscaper]

if you are dumb enough to slip up when you know you are being watched yes I think you get what you deserve.

Another point someone was waiting for the first slipup? I am thinking they just got caught on one of the slip ups

 

[dickydoem]

Now confirmed that it was her.

Police have confirmed that a woman convicted of running a high-end prostitution ring in Washington has committed suicide in a Florida Gulf Coast town.

Tarpon Springs police say the body of 52-year-old Deborah Jeane Palfrey was found hanged in a shed near her mother's manufactured home Thursday morning. Palfrey left a suicide note but police did not disclose its contents. Police say Palfrey's mother found the body.

 

[markvee]

But many aren't. For a "victim less crime" fine the lady for all the profit she made and oh I say 5 to 10 years in jail would be fair.

Heck, theres young people in jail for having tobacco underage! No shit, the judge gives them like 2-3 years probation and if they have just 1 slip up, they can get a few months in jail.

Is that fair?

In my opnion, there should be no punishment for the victimless crime of running an escort service. Running an escort service should not be illegal.

 

[S.C. Joe]

In my opnion, there should be no punishment for the victimless crime of running an escort service. Running an escort service should not be illegal.

Well the joke is, many escort services are in the USA. We have some who run ads in the yellow pages. All big city's have them. Las Vegas has some who make millions of $$$ too. Same with N.Y. City.

Its a very fine line from being legal to illegal. The people running the businesses need to be lawyers just about-and darn good ones too.

 

[Esco!]

A suicide?????

Riiiiiiggghhhtttt

 

[Berlin]

...word.

"I am sure as heck am not going to be going to federal prison for one day, let alone, you know, four to eight years here, because I'm shy about bringing in the deputy secretary of whatever," Palfrey told ABC last year when she released phone records that revealed some of her clients. "Not for a second. I'll bring every last one of them in if necessary."

Prosecutors said Palfrey operated the prostitution service for 13 years.

One of the escort service employees was former University of Maryland, Baltimore County, professor Brandy Britton, who was arrested on prostitution charges in 2006. She committed suicide in January before she was scheduled to go to trial

.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080501/ap_on_re_us/escort_list

 

[markvee]

Its a very fine line from being legal to illegal. The people running the businesses need to be lawyers just about-and darn good ones too.

I don't know which is worse, outlawing victimless acts or wording of laws that amount to selective application of the law. Both are bad to me.

 

[alexmst]

She knew that her clients included powerful people at the top.

If she disclosed their phone #s, then maybe her sentence was revenge.

That thought crossed my mind as well.

 

[Dave in Phoenix]

The Lessons from the D.C. Madam Tragic Ending

Deborah Jeane Palfrey, the "D.C. Madam"
The good legal briefs, the terrible defense at trial and the Tragic Suicide
A history lesson about the waste of resources and lives over in private consenting adult sexwork
Outcall as in her service - legal in almost all the world except the U.S.

May 1, 2008 The Tragic Ending
Jeane Palfrey hangs herself on mother's property in Tampa, Suicide notes were found near the body, police say. Palfrey's 76-year-old mother, Blanche Palfrey, found her daughter hanged using a nylon rope from a metal beam on the ceiling of a storage shed outside her home,

One of Palfery's escort service employees was former University of Maryland, Baltimore County, professor Brandy Britton, who was arrested on prostitution charges in 2006. She committed suicide in January before she was scheduled to go to trial.

Summary from earlier reports
As I have extensively reported on, I had been in e-mail discussion with her civil attorney Palfrey lawyer Montgomery Blair Sibley.I read some of his motions which were excellent including using Lawrence vs Texas (see my articles at http://www.sexwork.com/legal/Lawrence_Index.html ) But her criminal attorney, Preston Burton at trial had in my view, a terribly lacking defense.

At trial her only defense was that she didn't know sex was going on with her escorts. I had suggested an aggressive defense using both Lawrence vs Texas and the fact that clients only paid for time not for sex and whatever happened during time in private with consenting adults with no money exchanged for sex, was not a crime.

I had discussed with prior lawyer what resulted in my article:
Is Paying for Time legal as long as not for sex?
Is it similar to how Restaurants avoid Liquor License laws?
At http://www.sexwork.com/legal/TimeNotSex.html

The trial was a total disaster with only the "she didn't know" defense used which prior escorts easily proved wrong and the defense rested from what I have read with no other defense. It was a slam dunk guilty verdict by the jury.

She was found guilty April 15 of money laundering, racketeering and mail fraud and faced a maximum 55-year prison term at her sentencing, which was scheduled for July 24.

Consolidation of my many reports is at http://www.sexwork.com/escorts/dcmadam.html
A lot of reading but a serious issue. Hopefully some of the ideas might be useful in a future case.

These deaths are so pointless resulting from victimless crimes against only the morality of certain religious groups that want to control our lives.

 

[S.C. Joe]

.

These deaths are so pointless resulting from victimless crimes against only the morality of certain religious groups that want to control our lives.

The reason I was taught in school that the USA was form, was to get away from England were religion was part of the government.

This is why public schools can not have religious teaching but religion sure does play in the the laws in the USA.

Religion is now hurting Mr. Obama

There seem to be no such thing as a government without religion involved.

 

[STASH]

In my opnion, there should be no punishment for the victimless crime of running an escort service. Running an escort service should not be illegal.

I like your opinion Markvee.

The States is no place to live IMHO. They treat there own citizens like shit. I myself will never set foot in that dreaded country ever again. The place is just plain too scary for me. I'm more afraid of the government there than the gangs there. At least they treat there own fairly. More than I can say for the Bush government.
Don't get me wrong I like Americans...just can't stand thier laws or government or the politicians

 

[S.C. Joe]

But there is some "fair" laws. Driving around here seems to be MUCH better. I might have no car or drivers license by now if me and my car lived in Canada, lol.

Shopping prices seem better, the stores are open longer too. You can buy a beer at any drug store or supermarket-whiskey too.

Won't get in to the "far out gun laws" expect I just say some are "far out", lol.

I like living where I am. Canada is a short drive away, Windsor isn't the best but its still Canada-it stink if I lived in Kansas, ha ha.