A Comeback for "Hollywood Madam" Heidi Fleiss?" Not Exactly
Nye County District Court Judge John Davis in Pahrump followed terms of Fleiss' July 7 guilty plea to unlawful use of methamphetamine and possession of the painkiller hydrocodone without a prescription, attorney Robert Hill said.
"No problem. No surprises," Hill said. "She told the judge she acknowledges she has a drug problem, and she took the initiative to seek help."
The charges stemmed from Fleiss' Feb. 7, 2008, arrest outside a plumbing supply store in Pahrump, 60 miles west of Las Vegas.
The plea deal gives Fleiss, 43, a chance to have the convictions dismissed from her record if she remains out of trouble until 2012.
Nye County District Attorney Bob Beckett added that Fleiss will have to submit to random drug testing during probation.
"It looks like she's taking the necessary steps to address her problem," Beckett said. "The court was aware of her prior convictions. They weren't drug-related. That's why she was eligible for a diversion program."
Hill said Fleiss recently completed an inpatient drug treatment program in Southern California directed by Dr. Drew Pinsky, host off the VH1 cable show "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew."
"She's dedicated and motivated at this point to stay clean," the lawyer said.
Fleiss once ran a high-priced Los Angeles prostitution ring that catered to wealthy clients. She was convicted of money laundering, tax evasion and attempted pandering and served 21 months in California prison before being released in 1999.
Fleiss moved to Pahrump in late 2005, promising to open a legal brothel featuring male prostitutes serving female customers, but later dropped the idea. She operates a 24-hour coin-operated laundry, called Dirty Laundry, in Pahrump.
Fleiss also fought with a landlord who accused her of trashing a house she rented and filled with exotic birds before moving to a mobile home on 10 acres she owns in Pahrump.
A recent venture to open a dog grooming business in Las Vegas called "Dirty Dog" hit a snag when Fleiss was sued by the estranged husband of a woman who previously owned it. The lawsuit filed Aug. 31 in Clark County District Court alleges the sale of the shop to Fleiss and porn star Kendra Jade Rossi violated terms of the man's divorce agreement.