"D.C. Madam" Guilty In Prostitution Case

Deborah Jeane Palfrey Convicted Of Running Prostitution Service That Catered To Political Elites

(AP)  A federal jury convicted a woman Tuesday of running a prostitution service that catered to members of Washington's political elite.

Deborah Jeane Palfrey, 52, sighed as the verdict was read. She had repeatedly denied the escort service engaged in prostitution, saying that if any of the women engaged in sex acts for money, they did so without her knowledge.

Palfrey caused a sensation last year when she announced that to raise money for her defense, she intended to sell her phone records to any news outlet willing to pay. Palfrey said her defunct business, Pamela Martin & Associates, was "a legal, high-end erotic fantasy service" that serviced elite clients.

She was convicted on all counts she faced: Money laundering, using the mail for illegal purposes and racketeering.

Three of Palfrey's clients testified during the weeklong trial in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, explaining how they found the service, how often they called, what they were hoping for and whether they got it during their visits.

"When a man agrees to pay $250 for 90 minutes with a woman, what do most men expect in that time?" prosecutor Daniel Butler said during closing arguments Monday. "In that context, it's pretty clear. Most men want sex."

But the trial concluded without revealing many new details about the service or its clients. Sen. David Vitter, R-La., was among possible witnesses, but did not take the stand.

Vitter has acknowledged being involved with Palfrey's escort service. But after issuing brief statements apologizing for "a very serious sin," he has avoided follow-up questions.

Harlan Ullman, a military strategist who created the concept of "shock and awe" that the United States used to open hostilities against Iraq, also did not testify. Palfrey says Ullman was a regular client; Ullman has declined to discuss what he has called "outrageous allegations." Randall L. Tobias, who resigned as a deputy secretary of state after acknowledging to ABC News that he used Palfrey's service for massages, also did not testify.

Defense attorney Preston Burton argued that what went on during appointments was between the client and the escort. He compared Palfrey to a taxi dispatcher, who shouldn't be penalized for "the route the cab driver took."

Palfrey will remain free pending her sentencing July 24.

Prosecutors urged U.S. District Judge James Robertson to lock Palfrey up immediately, arguing that the verdict gives her a motive to flee. But the judge noted that Palfrey has never missed a court appearance.

[keithle1]

Do you have enough lipstick on, Madam?

Only one reason men hang around with young women:
s e x. It''s definitely not for the scintillating conversation. What do young women have to say that men want to hear?

[libh8er]

Prostitution should be legalized and made safe for the escorts and their clients, then it would be a non issue.
Posted by Antonia62 at 08:49 PM : Apr 15, 2008

All libs say that when dems get caught. WHen republicans get caught, they demand congressional investigations and jail time.

[gunownerdan]

Guilty of prostitution?
She should run for congress, she''d make a great senator.

[watcher269-2009]

Does Railroaded mean anything?

[pollroller1]

With a set of lips like that, she could really suck on a banana. hahahaha

[rushlimpdrug]

""D.C. Madam" Guilty In Prostitution Case"

Shouldn''t that read "alleged" D.C. Madam?

[pollroller1]

Somebody pass me a banana. I''m getting hungry.

[antonia62]

To run an escort service, she doesn''t have to be pretty; just smart. If you study history, men in power have had mistresses/concubines/courtesans since time began. It''s only in the last few hundred years in the US that everyone''s having a fit about it. Prostitution should be legalized and made safe for the escorts and their clients, then it would be a non issue.

[veteran72]

Let''s see, the GOPervs get a walk, while the poor girls who had to endure so much time with the Fatasssed Slimy Scumbags, go to jail???
That''s sounds like everything else they''ve been doing for the last 7+ years.....*** ALL of us, and charging US for the privelege...Time for a Revolution.
Vote out every GOPerv and Demohog Incumbent Scumbag in Washington and in Every State Office.
Vote in Regular Honest American Citizens in their
place. Take back our Nation from these Traitors.

[babooph]

Prostitutes are better than clergymen-at least what their selling is theirs.

[ov442]

- kaviz - shes not a prostitute, shes the "DC madam" no brothel. she worked out of her home in CA and contracted women to go to Politicians and meet them for illegal activities. Im sure Senator Vitter, would pick an attractive women from her online portfolio.
-- CultureChang -- Dont you get it yet?... they have never been spending Billions in man hours, political timewasting and money to regulate Morality. They have done that to regulate Morality for everyone but THemselves.

[ov442]

jeez, if they feel they have the gall, the nerve, and the audacity to prosecute this woman for the actions of her clients and ''contractors'', then every single one of the ''johns'' should be outed and punished in every possible fashion that Spitzer was accused of.

[carpriddler]

Money Laundering, what a joke. So she was washing dollars. How many in DC are washing dollars on tax day. All of them! Who did she hurt. Are blaming her for the behavior of the clients?

[carpriddler]

If you can pardon Scooter, they can pardon this wonderful woman.

[dowjones20k]

Interesting that only 3 politcal sickos were divulged .. and wonder how many more are in the black book?

I wonder if we might see a few from both the controlling parties?

I cant imagine her service only catered to Repubs ... or are all the dems not interested?

HAHAHAAHA

I bet here are more selacious details forthcoming .. depends on how many years she gets ... you can bet the phones will be ringing off the hook now that she knows what kinda time she is looking at.

[haoli25]

She may have been the only ''honest person'' in DC. I can see why the government would need to lock her up.
''Delivering what is promised''....how dare she!! lol

[aaabee-2009]

aabee-so you give our crusading, clean NY state government up, put the john''''s behind bars, increase their jail time spitzer a break because he "apologized"?? Posted by Xlib at 05:01 PM : Apr 15, 2008

There isn''t a lick of double standard about me. All laws apply to everyone equally.

Where in my post did I give Spitzer a break? He done the crime, he can pay for it.

My point is about your boys. Okay to let them off the hook because they are big super-important persons with fat paychecks and lawyers on retainer?

How about all of them apologizing to America and getting their filthiness the heck out of public office.

[pfd572]

culturechang: You can thank the power behind the current admin and crop of Republican/conservative members of congress: the fanatic right of the conservative Christian coalitions. The demand action against prostitution on the federal level-big bucks spend, want Marriott to stop providing adult movies on pay-per-view, and get they get a grade school to end a long term ''fun'' day because they said it promoted a homosexual lifestyle and confused children (?), (seems funny in their distorted views that little girls wearing jeans, t-shirts and sneakers aren''t promoting lesbianism) and boycotted Ford because they donated to charities weren''t anti-abortion. They scream and yell about THEIR free speech, but love to try and deny it to others. Blackmail and extortion are their weapons of choice. They cost us millions, if not billions, of tax payer dollars on their pet peeves.

[Hybdiesel]

Just look at the lips on that woman''s picture, are they made for eating bananas or something I''am not allowed to talk about?

[kaviz]

If she was the first person I met at a brothel, I would have taken my business elsewhere, for fear she was the best looking thing they had.