D.C. Madam found dead in Fla. home

D.C. Madam found dead in Fla. home
May 1, 2008 - 2:25pm

http://www.wtop.com/?nid=25&sid=1396668

In this March 9, 2007 file photo Deborah Jeane Palfrey reads a statement outside federal court in Washington. A woman police believe to be convicted Washington escort service operator Palfrey committed suicide, officials said Thursday May 1, 2008. Palfrey faced a maximum of 55 years in prison and was free pending her sentencing July 24. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
WASHINGTON - D.C. Madam Deborah Jeane Palfrey has been found dead in a home in Florida, police say.

Police in Tarpon Springs, Fla. were called to the home of Palfrey's mother, Blanche, to investigate an apparent suicide at 10:52 a.m. at the Sun Valley Mobile Home Park.

Police confirmed the dead woman as 52-year-old Deborah Jeane Palfrey.

Palfrey's body was found in a small storage shed near her mother's mobile home, police say.

There was a handwritten suicide note, but police did not disclose its contents.

Palfrey was convicted on April 15 of racketeering and money laundering charges for running a prostitution ring that catered to Washington's elite, including Sen. David Vitter (R-La.).

Throughout her trial in U.S. District Court, Palfrey maintained her company, Pamela Martin & Associates, provided legal escort services and catered to adult fantasies to 15,000 customers from 1993 until 2006.

After Palfrey was convicted, prosecutors urged U.S. District Judge James Robertson to immediately put Palfrey behind bars, arguing that the verdict was a motive for her to flee. Judge Roberston denied the request, noting that Palfrey has never missed a court appearance.

The trial was the first time federal prosecutors in D.C. used federal racketeering statutes in a prostitution case.

Palfrey was scheduled to be sentenced on July 24. She faced a maximum of 55 years in prison.

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.

Last year, Palfrey said she, too, was humiliated by her prostitution charges, but said: "I guess I'm made of something that Brandy Britton wasn't made of."

In July 2007, Palfrey and her attorney at the time, Montgomery Blair Sibley, released what she called "46 pounds of phone records" from her business. Earlier that year, Palfrey had considered selling her telephone records to help pay for her legal defense.

At the time, Palfrey said in an email to WTOP that she was reluctant to release the information.

"I take no pleasure in being forced to reveal the identities of the clients and women of the service," Palfrey said.

Most of Palfrey's assets were frozen by federal authorities, in October 2006, after an IRS investigation.

Despite her legal woes, Palfrey remained proud of her business.

"I ran a first-rate firm, with top quality associates patronized by some of the best people in this country as well as many internationally. I am quite proud of the business I ran and the ethical manner which it was conducted for almost a decade and a half period."

In 1991, Palfrey was convicted for operating an illegal prostitution business in California and served 18 months in prison.

(Copyright 2008 by WTOP and The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
WASHINGTON - D.C. Madam Deborah Jeane Palfrey has been found dead in a home in Florida, police say.

Police in Tarpon Springs, Fla. were called to the home of Palfrey's mother, Blanche, to investigate an apparent suicide at 10:52 a.m. at the Sun Valley Mobile Home Park.

Police confirmed the dead woman as 52-year-old Deborah Jeane Palfrey.

Palfrey's body was found in a small storage shed near her mother's mobile home, police say.

There was a handwritten suicide note, but police did not disclose its contents.

Palfrey was convicted on April 15 of racketeering and money laundering charges for running a prostitution ring that catered to Washington's elite, including Sen. David Vitter (R-La.).

Throughout her trial in U.S. District Court, Palfrey maintained her company, Pamela Martin & Associates, provided legal escort services and catered to adult fantasies to 15,000 customers from 1993 until 2006.

After Palfrey was convicted, prosecutors urged U.S. District Judge James Robertson to immediately put Palfrey behind bars, arguing that the verdict was a motive for her to flee. Judge Roberston denied the request, noting that Palfrey has never missed a court appearance.

The trial was the first time federal prosecutors in D.C. used federal racketeering statutes in a prostitution case.

Palfrey was scheduled to be sentenced on July 24. She faced a maximum of 55 years in prison.

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.

Last year, Palfrey said she, too, was humiliated by her prostitution charges, but said: "I guess I'm made of something that Brandy Britton wasn't made of."

In July 2007, Palfrey and her attorney at the time, Montgomery Blair Sibley, released what she called "46 pounds of phone records" from her business. Earlier that year, Palfrey had considered selling her telephone records to help pay for her legal defense.

At the time, Palfrey said in an email to WTOP that she was reluctant to release the information.

"I take no pleasure in being forced to reveal the identities of the clients and women of the service," Palfrey said.

Most of Palfrey's assets were frozen by federal authorities, in October 2006, after an IRS investigation.

Despite her legal woes, Palfrey remained proud of her business.

"I ran a first-rate firm, with top quality associates patronized by some of the best people in this country as well as many internationally. I am quite proud of the business I ran and the ethical manner which it was conducted for almost a decade and a half period."

In 1991, Palfrey was convicted for operating an illegal prostitution business in California and served 18 months in prison.

(Copyright 2008 by WTOP and The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

n.t.

We all know someone who knows someone. Ask LostInVA.

Hellburton.. the case was taken away from the local police.. the feds said he committed suicide

edited.... i found the link>>
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/05/12/18414982.php

...snip
"DiBiagio had already witnessed the brutal murder of his Assistant US Attorney Jonathan Luna in December 2003. A husband and father of two, Luna had departed in his vehicle, strangely leaving his cell phone on his desk at his office, and drove a circuitous route through Delaware, New Jersey, and then Pennsylvania before he was found in a creek near the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Denver, PA stabbed to death 36 times, supposedly with his own pen knife. Federal authorities leaned toward a suicide but local investigators treated the death as a homicide. In 2004, DiBiagio claimed he was being pressured to stop his investigation of Ehrlich's staff for links to gambling (particularly the gambling interests of jailed Maryland/DC GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff), prostitution, and other corruption and filed a threat report with the FBI. The Washington Post and Washington Times then reported that Luna was fearful that DiBiagio was going to fire him, which led to Luna's "suicide." It is a charge DiBiagio strongly denied. DiBiagio told the New York Times that the pressure from Ehrlich's office and the Justice Department served "to intimidate my office and shut down the investigations." Maryland Democratic Senator Ben Cardin has asked for an investigation of DiBiagio's firing.

Luna's death on December 4, 2003 was followed a few days later, on December 10, 2003, by the indictment of Maryland State Police Superintendent Ed Norris for using his Executive Protective Unit (EPU), the unit that protects the Governor of Maryland and other state VIPs, to transport prostitutes to various locations, including posh Baltimore and New York City hotels, including the Baltimore Hyatt. Like Palfrey, Norris also came under investigation for tax evasion by the Baltimore IRS office. ABC's 20/20 reported that Madam Palfrey's escorts were also driven to expensive Washington hotels, including the Hay-Adams. Palfrey, herself, has suggested that some of her escorts may have been linked to the case of jailed California Republican Congressman Duke Cunningham, Mitchell Wade's MZM, Inc., and Shirlington Limousine. The limousine service was, according to investigators, involved in transporting escorts to the Watergate and Capitol Hill's Westin Grand Hotel.

The murder of Luna and the firing of DiBiagio eliminated the threat that the well-heeled customers of the DC/Baltimore prostitution ring, many of them GOP stalwarts, would be exposed prior to the December 2004 presidential election. The attempt by Justice prosecutors and Judge Kessler to limit the criminal case to Palfrey continues the effort to punish the DC Madam and her employees and divert attention away from the customers. In May 2004, at the same time Norris and his chief of staff agreed to a plea deal in the prostitution case and received light semtences, Palfrey came under intense federal investigation. Palfrey claims that she is being scapegoated by the very same people who were her customers.

Reeking of suphur and sewage.

What will become of those "46 pounds of telephone records"???

Will they disappear into the 'Memory Hole'?

No warm body, no sentencing.

How 'conveninent', as others have said.

I don't see how what she did merits 55 years in a federal prison. Some hotshot prosecutor really went overboard with this one.

If they'd given her a couple years, she'd have hung onto the files and been comfortable when she got out. But facing 55 year - ending her life in prison - she had no reason NOT to use what she knew to avoid that fate. She threatened to release the files if she didn't get a lighter sentence, so they killed her.

Files that were probably in that storage shed.

I hope she had duplicates somewhere.

i later discovered it was true, he said hewas only able to escape because he aquired damning evidence and had 5 people/lawyers etc holding them.. and arranged to walk away.. sounded more real after the Boys Town thing

this is what he discribed nearly word for word.. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=boys+town+prostitution+ring&btnG=Google+Search

some relevant links to the origional post
http://hiddenmysteries.net/geeklog/article.php?story=20070524113439163
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_gustav_w_070524_dc_madam_scandal_wid.htm

If she had been in prison before why would she kill herself over the thought of going back? Obviously if it had been that bad she would have found a new line of work when she got out. Also, I don't think that hanging is a suicide choice for many women. I would have thought pills and/ or booze. I am sorry for her family. She was too young to die. peace, Kim

suicide, we will never know what really happened. Too many times it seems people of interest " commit suicide " with strange things coming up and it always just goes away. If it were just a suicide, you would think the media would sensationalize it like they do every other tragedy but instead cases like these just go away.