SOURCE: http://revolutionnow05.livejournal.com/181250.html
Deborah Jeane Palfrey did not commit suicide!!!
She was on the radio multiple times and said she would NEVER kill herself.
One of the government's favorite tactics is to use "suicide" to kill enemies of the state.
She was going to release names so they killed her.
Also one of Palfrey's girls, Brandy Britton (AKA: Alexis Angel) "committed suicide" last year before her trial - rumor has it she was Cheney's girl....coincidence?
Excerpt from PrisonPlanet.com
During several recent appearances on The Alex Jones Show, Palfrey also said that she was at risk of being killed and that authorities would make it look like suicide. She made it clear that she was not suicidal and if she was found dead it would be murder.
Palfrey had threatened to release the names of well-known clients of her upscale call girl ring in the nation's capitol, and had indicated that Dick Cheney may be one of them.
"No I'm not planning to commit suicide," Palfrey told The Alex Jones Show on her last appearance, "I'm planning on going into court and defending myself vigorously and exposing the government," she said
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Deborah Jeane Palfrey "Committed suicide"
A woman convicted two weeks ago of being the "D.C. Madam" hanged herself Thursday, apparently making good on her vow never to go to prison for running a high-end Washington prostitution ring.
The body of Deborah Jeane Palfrey was found in a shed near her mother's home about 20 miles northwest of Tampa. Police said the 52-year-old Palfrey left at least two suicide notes and other writings to her family in a notebook, but they did not disclose their contents.
Palfrey apparently hanged herself with nylon rope from the shed's ceiling. Her mother discovered the body.
Officers were outside the mother's white and pink home in the community of mostly retirees.
Blanche Palfrey had no sign that her daughter was suicidal, and there was no immediate indication that alcohol or drugs were involved, police Capt. Jeffrey Young said.
A man who answered a phone listed for Palfrey's mother declined to comment.
"This is tragic news and my heart goes out to her mother," said attorney Preston Burton, who represented Deborah Jeane Palfrey in her trial.
A federal jury convicted Palfrey on April 15 of running a prostitution service that catered to members of Washington's political elite, including Sen. David Vitter, a Louisiana Republican. She was convicted of money laundering, using the mail for illegal purposes and racketeering.
Palfrey had denied her escort service engaged in prostitution, saying that if any of the women engaged in sex acts for money, they did so without her knowledge.
The trial concluded without revealing many new details about the service or its clients. Vitter was among possible witnesses but did not take the stand.
Channing Phillips, the spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in the District of Columbia, said that under sentencing guidelines, Palfrey faced about five or six years in prison. She was free while she awaited sentencing on July 24.
"I'm sure as heck not going to be going to federal prison for one day, let alone four to eight years, 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."
Dan Moldea, a Washington writer who befriended Palfrey while considering writing a book about her, said she was cautiously optimistic about her trial, even when the case went before the jury.
After the conviction, Moldea sent her an e-mail but didn't hear back. A week later, he said, he sent another note entitled "A Concerned Friend" asking whether she was OK. Again, he didn't hear back.
After hearing of her death, he recalled a conversation over dinner last year when the subject of prison came up.
"She said, 'I am not going back to prison. I will commit suicide first,'" Moldea said.
Prosecutors said Palfrey operated the prostitution service for 13 years.
Vitter, a first-term senator who is married and has four children, has acknowledged being involved with Palfrey's escort service and has apologized for what he called a "very serious sin." But he avoided commenting further.
Besides Vitter, the trial also concluded without the testimony of military strategist Harlan Ullman or Randall Tobias, a former senior State Department official. Both men had been named among possible witnesses.
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.
Palfrey said last year that she, too, was humiliated by her prostitution charges, but said: "I guess I'm made of something that Brandy Britton wasn't made of."
The body of Deborah Jeane Palfrey was found in a shed near her mother's home about 20 miles northwest of Tampa. Police said the 52-year-old Palfrey left at least two suicide notes and other writings to her family in a notebook, but they did not disclose their contents.
Palfrey apparently hanged herself with nylon rope from the shed's ceiling. Her mother discovered the body.
Officers were outside the mother's white and pink home in the community of mostly retirees.
Blanche Palfrey had no sign that her daughter was suicidal, and there was no immediate indication that alcohol or drugs were involved, police Capt. Jeffrey Young said.
A man who answered a phone listed for Palfrey's mother declined to comment.
"This is tragic news and my heart goes out to her mother," said attorney Preston Burton, who represented Deborah Jeane Palfrey in her trial.
A federal jury convicted Palfrey on April 15 of running a prostitution service that catered to members of Washington's political elite, including Sen. David Vitter, a Louisiana Republican. She was convicted of money laundering, using the mail for illegal purposes and racketeering.
Palfrey had denied her escort service engaged in prostitution, saying that if any of the women engaged in sex acts for money, they did so without her knowledge.
The trial concluded without revealing many new details about the service or its clients. Vitter was among possible witnesses but did not take the stand.
Channing Phillips, the spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in the District of Columbia, said that under sentencing guidelines, Palfrey faced about five or six years in prison. She was free while she awaited sentencing on July 24.
"I'm sure as heck not going to be going to federal prison for one day, let alone four to eight years, 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."
Dan Moldea, a Washington writer who befriended Palfrey while considering writing a book about her, said she was cautiously optimistic about her trial, even when the case went before the jury.
After the conviction, Moldea sent her an e-mail but didn't hear back. A week later, he said, he sent another note entitled "A Concerned Friend" asking whether she was OK. Again, he didn't hear back.
After hearing of her death, he recalled a conversation over dinner last year when the subject of prison came up.
"She said, 'I am not going back to prison. I will commit suicide first,'" Moldea said.
Prosecutors said Palfrey operated the prostitution service for 13 years.
Vitter, a first-term senator who is married and has four children, has acknowledged being involved with Palfrey's escort service and has apologized for what he called a "very serious sin." But he avoided commenting further.
Besides Vitter, the trial also concluded without the testimony of military strategist Harlan Ullman or Randall Tobias, a former senior State Department official. Both men had been named among possible witnesses.
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.
Palfrey said last year that she, too, was humiliated by her prostitution charges, but said: "I guess I'm made of something that Brandy Britton wasn't made of."
Thursday, April 17, 2008
DC Madam found Guilty
A federal jury found the so-called "D.C. Madam" guilty Tuesday on four felony charges stemming from her Washington-area prostitution business.
Jurors deliberated for less than a day before reaching their verdict, after listening to four days of sad testimony from more than a dozen former prostitutes and three clients.
Deborah Jeane Palfrey had maintained that she ran a "sexual fantasy services" outcall escort firm which prohibited illegal activity by the women who worked for it. She said she was unaware of sex between her clients and the women who worked for her.
Palfrey did not testify, nor did the handful of high-profile figures whose phone numbers had appeared in her business' telephone records.
Palfrey's firm operated without interruption by law enforcement from 1993 to 2006, reportedly employed more than 130 women and brought in roughly $2 million in revenue, according to prosecutors.
U.S. District Court Judge James Robertson declined a request by prosecutors to hold Palfrey pending her July 24 sentencing.
The jury convicted Palfrey of racketeering, money laundering, and two counts of using the mail for illegal purposes.
Jurors deliberated for less than a day before reaching their verdict, after listening to four days of sad testimony from more than a dozen former prostitutes and three clients.
Deborah Jeane Palfrey had maintained that she ran a "sexual fantasy services" outcall escort firm which prohibited illegal activity by the women who worked for it. She said she was unaware of sex between her clients and the women who worked for her.
Palfrey did not testify, nor did the handful of high-profile figures whose phone numbers had appeared in her business' telephone records.
Palfrey's firm operated without interruption by law enforcement from 1993 to 2006, reportedly employed more than 130 women and brought in roughly $2 million in revenue, according to prosecutors.
U.S. District Court Judge James Robertson declined a request by prosecutors to hold Palfrey pending her July 24 sentencing.
The jury convicted Palfrey of racketeering, money laundering, and two counts of using the mail for illegal purposes.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Navy-officer call girl was $300,000 in debt
A divorced Navy officer who testified this week that she moonlighted for an alleged prostitution ring while stationed at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., was nearly $300,000 in debt at the time despite a Navy income of more than $93,000, court records show.
Lt. Cmdr. Rebecca Dickinson, 38, owed more than $58,000 on 20 credit cards and $177,000 in three mortgages on a house in Georgia, according to records from a bankruptcy filing in December 2006. She also reported spending $700 a month on travel to see her three children, who reportedly live with their father in Georgia.
The records offer clues as to why a decorated Navy officer would turn to work as a call girl, even with an income that reached nearly $100,000 a year at one point.
Dickinson, a supply officer, managed food services at the Naval Academy from September 2004 to May 2007, a Navy spokesman said. She also taught a leadership course in the leadership, ethics and law department.
But on the side she visited the homes of white-collar clients of an escort service, charging $275 for 90-minute appointments, which typically involved sex, she testified this week. She said she worked with the name Renee and kept $130 for herself and sent $145 to the escort service's owner.
The service, Pamela Martin & Associates, was allegedly run by Deborah Jeane Palfrey, the so-called "D.C. Madam," who is being tried in U.S. District Court in Washington.
Palfrey, who allegedly ran the business by telephone from her home in Northern California, gave interviews before her trial and was quoted by The Navy Times as describing Dickinson as "very pleasant, very nice."
In court, Dickinson acknowledged that money and marital problems led her to moonlight as a prostitute for the rich and powerful of Washington.
"I needed the money, yes I did," said Dickinson, a divorced mother of three who two years ago stopped working for the prostitution ring and filed for bankruptcy.
Asked why she walked away from prostitution, Dickinson replied: "It was getting hard to do. I didn't like it."
There is no accusation Dickinson was hired for prostitution by any of the best-known clients of Palfrey, 52.
The client list included Sen. David Vitter, R-La.; Randall Tobias, who stepped down as deputy secretary of state after his links to the ring were exposed; and Harlan Ullman, the military-affairs scholar who created the Pentagon's concept known as "shock and awe."
None of those men has testified.
Dickinson, now stationed at the Naval Supply Corps School in Athens, Ga., has been relieved of her duties and placed on leave, a Navy spokesman said. Her current pay grade, with housing allowance, is $93,897.
Because she testified under grant of immunity, she effectively cannot be court-martialed or prosecuted for federal crimes relating to the case, said the spokesman, Capt. Jack Hanzlik. The Navy is considering administrative punishment, which could include an other-than-honorable discharge and a "substantial" loss of retirement benefits, Hanzlik said.
Dickinson joined the military in 1986. She has been awarded two Navy/Marine Corps Commendation medals.
Lt. Cmdr. Rebecca Dickinson, 38, owed more than $58,000 on 20 credit cards and $177,000 in three mortgages on a house in Georgia, according to records from a bankruptcy filing in December 2006. She also reported spending $700 a month on travel to see her three children, who reportedly live with their father in Georgia.
The records offer clues as to why a decorated Navy officer would turn to work as a call girl, even with an income that reached nearly $100,000 a year at one point.
Dickinson, a supply officer, managed food services at the Naval Academy from September 2004 to May 2007, a Navy spokesman said. She also taught a leadership course in the leadership, ethics and law department.
But on the side she visited the homes of white-collar clients of an escort service, charging $275 for 90-minute appointments, which typically involved sex, she testified this week. She said she worked with the name Renee and kept $130 for herself and sent $145 to the escort service's owner.
The service, Pamela Martin & Associates, was allegedly run by Deborah Jeane Palfrey, the so-called "D.C. Madam," who is being tried in U.S. District Court in Washington.
Palfrey, who allegedly ran the business by telephone from her home in Northern California, gave interviews before her trial and was quoted by The Navy Times as describing Dickinson as "very pleasant, very nice."
In court, Dickinson acknowledged that money and marital problems led her to moonlight as a prostitute for the rich and powerful of Washington.
"I needed the money, yes I did," said Dickinson, a divorced mother of three who two years ago stopped working for the prostitution ring and filed for bankruptcy.
Asked why she walked away from prostitution, Dickinson replied: "It was getting hard to do. I didn't like it."
There is no accusation Dickinson was hired for prostitution by any of the best-known clients of Palfrey, 52.
The client list included Sen. David Vitter, R-La.; Randall Tobias, who stepped down as deputy secretary of state after his links to the ring were exposed; and Harlan Ullman, the military-affairs scholar who created the Pentagon's concept known as "shock and awe."
None of those men has testified.
Dickinson, now stationed at the Naval Supply Corps School in Athens, Ga., has been relieved of her duties and placed on leave, a Navy spokesman said. Her current pay grade, with housing allowance, is $93,897.
Because she testified under grant of immunity, she effectively cannot be court-martialed or prosecuted for federal crimes relating to the case, said the spokesman, Capt. Jack Hanzlik. The Navy is considering administrative punishment, which could include an other-than-honorable discharge and a "substantial" loss of retirement benefits, Hanzlik said.
Dickinson joined the military in 1986. She has been awarded two Navy/Marine Corps Commendation medals.
Friday, April 11, 2008
So-Called 'D.C. Madam' Granted New Lawyer
A federal judge on Monday granted Deborah Jean Palfrey, the so-called D.C. madam, a new lawyer to handle her criminal case.
Palfrey claimed irreconcilable differences with A.J. Kramer, the head of the Federal Public Defender Service's Washington office, as the reason for making the change.
Palfrey is accused of running an operation that provided $300 per hour prostitutes in the D.C. area from her California home. She was indicted by a federal grand jury in February on racketeering charges. Palfrey insists that she ran a legal escort service.
Following her court appearance Palfrey apologized to a former State Department official who resigned after admitting he used her firm.
Randal Tobias, a deputy secretary of state, resigned Friday, one day after confirming to ABC News that he had used the Palfrey's service, Pamela Martin & Associates. Tobias said no sex was involved and he only used her massage services.
Palfrey said that validates her decision to turn over to ABC News phone records that could unveil thousands of clients.
"My hope that defense witnesses could be found by combing through the information indeed is being realized," Palfrey said in a prepared statement outside the federal courthouse in Washington after a brief hearing.
Palfrey and her civil attorney, Montgomery Blair Sibley, said they expect that Tobias will be subpoenaed to testify on her behalf.
Palfrey urged reporters to look into the reasons why she's being targeted for criminal prosecution.
Palfrey's lawyer also admitted that he got calls from five attorneys asking if their clients are part of the list of phone numbers turned over to ABC News. He said some have asked if accommodations could be made to keep those clients' names private.
On its Web site, ABC News reported Monday that the list of Palfrey's customers also includes an economist in President George W. Bush's administration, a prominent chief executive officer, the head of a conservative think tank, lobbyists and military officials.
Palfrey said she gave her phone records to ABC News so the network could identify clients who could then testify that the escorts performed legal services. Prosecutors, however, have accused Palfrey of seeking to intimidate witnesses by outing them publicly.
Sibley said he does not know how many people will be outed by ABC, which is planning to air a report Friday on its "20/20" newsmagazine.
"We don't know what ABC will do anymore than you do," Sibley said.
U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler also ruled that Palfrey does not have to continue electronic monitoring. She now has to report to pretrial services three times a week by telephone.
Palfrey claimed irreconcilable differences with A.J. Kramer, the head of the Federal Public Defender Service's Washington office, as the reason for making the change.
Palfrey is accused of running an operation that provided $300 per hour prostitutes in the D.C. area from her California home. She was indicted by a federal grand jury in February on racketeering charges. Palfrey insists that she ran a legal escort service.
Following her court appearance Palfrey apologized to a former State Department official who resigned after admitting he used her firm.
Randal Tobias, a deputy secretary of state, resigned Friday, one day after confirming to ABC News that he had used the Palfrey's service, Pamela Martin & Associates. Tobias said no sex was involved and he only used her massage services.
Palfrey said that validates her decision to turn over to ABC News phone records that could unveil thousands of clients.
"My hope that defense witnesses could be found by combing through the information indeed is being realized," Palfrey said in a prepared statement outside the federal courthouse in Washington after a brief hearing.
Palfrey and her civil attorney, Montgomery Blair Sibley, said they expect that Tobias will be subpoenaed to testify on her behalf.
Palfrey urged reporters to look into the reasons why she's being targeted for criminal prosecution.
Palfrey's lawyer also admitted that he got calls from five attorneys asking if their clients are part of the list of phone numbers turned over to ABC News. He said some have asked if accommodations could be made to keep those clients' names private.
On its Web site, ABC News reported Monday that the list of Palfrey's customers also includes an economist in President George W. Bush's administration, a prominent chief executive officer, the head of a conservative think tank, lobbyists and military officials.
Palfrey said she gave her phone records to ABC News so the network could identify clients who could then testify that the escorts performed legal services. Prosecutors, however, have accused Palfrey of seeking to intimidate witnesses by outing them publicly.
Sibley said he does not know how many people will be outed by ABC, which is planning to air a report Friday on its "20/20" newsmagazine.
"We don't know what ABC will do anymore than you do," Sibley said.
U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler also ruled that Palfrey does not have to continue electronic monitoring. She now has to report to pretrial services three times a week by telephone.
News Report Expected To Detail Accused Madam's Client List
A prominent military consultant and an official from President George W. Bush's administration have already been linked to a Washington, D.C., escort service that prosecutors contend was a prostitution ring. Others could join them after a television newsmagazine reports what it learned from the accused madam's phone records.
The ABC News show "20/20" on Friday plans to air what it has learned about Deborah Jeane Palfrey's business from 46 pounds of phone records she gave the network before a judge's order barring her from releasing them took effect.
Palfrey, 51, of Vallejo, Calif., is charged in federal court with racketeering and money laundering associated with prostitution.
She contends that she ran Pamela Martin and Associates as a "legal, high-end erotic fantasy service" and that the women who worked for her signed contracts in which they promised not to have sex with clients. Prosecutors said she knew the 130 women she employed over 13 years engaged in prostitution.
Palfrey has said she gave ABC News the phone records because she hopes a network investigation of the records would compel customers to testify they did not engage in sexual conduct with the escorts.
Senior State Department official Randall Tobias resigned from his post last week after ABC confronted him about his use of the service. Tobias has said he obtained massages but denied having sex with the escorts.
In court papers filed last month, Palfrey named Harlan Ullman, known as an author of the "shock and awe" combat strategy, as a regular customer. Ullman has said the accusation does not merit a response.
On Thursday, a lawyer for Palfrey said an instructor at the U.S. Naval Academy was one of the service's escorts and ABC reported that a secretary at a prominent law firm was another escort.
Palfrey told ABC that most of her escorts worked for her because they needed the money. Palfrey said she urged the women who answered her newspaper and phone book ads to think seriously before signing up.
"Many of these girls had never done this kind of work before," Palfrey said.
Palfrey said some of the most popular women were in their 50s. She said there was never an age limit, and that most of the women worked about three shifts a week, ending each night at 11 p.m.
"I made sure they either worked or went to school in the daytime," she said.
Montgomery Blair Sibley, Palfrey's civil attorney, confirmed a report in the Navy Times that an academy instructor worked as an independent contractor for Palfrey's service. Sibley said he didn't know whether the person is still at the academy.
An academy spokeswoman said she had no information about Sibley's claim.
A prestigious D.C. law firm -- Akin, Gump, Strauss, Houer and Feld -- has placed a legal secretary on administrative leave after she informed her employer that she moonlighted for Palfrey's escort service for spa money, according to ABC News. The ABC News Web site said the woman told her bosses that she was a government witness in the case, so the law firm hesitated to dismiss her, despite her apparent violation of a policy barring employees from holding second jobs.
A spokesman for the firm told News4, "This is an internal personnel matter, and as such, we will not provide comment."
News4's Jackie Bensen reported that the story is the talk of the downtown D.C. legal community.
The network has said the list of Palfrey's customers also includes a Bush administration economist, a prominent chief executive officer, the head of a conservative think tank, lobbyists and military officials.
Palfrey and the Internet radio station wsRadio.com will auction tapes of five one-hour interviews with her next week, The Washington Post reported for Friday's editions. Bids will start at $5,000.
The station's president, Chris Murch, declined to disclose details of the contract to the newspaper but said Palfrey will donate 10 percent of the proceeds to charity.
Palfrey reportedly does not reveal any names in that interview.
Prosecutors raised the prospect this week that Palfrey could jump bail now that she's been removed from electronic monitoring, pointing out that she's done it before.
In 1991, she skipped out on her pending trial for pimping out women and other charges in California, leaving only a long, rambling letter with her attorney.
"Prison is an absurd and unthinkable horror for me to embrace for simply being an enterprising business person," she wrote. "For God's sake, I was only running an escort service!"
She claimed -- much as she claims now -- that her lawyers failed her and that police and prosecutors were out to get her.
A few months later, she was arrested in Montana at the Canadian border. It is not clear whether she was leaving the country or seeking to re-enter. She was later sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to attempted pimping.
In the current case, she has also complained about alleged prosecutorial misconduct and her court-appointed lawyer.
In court this week, U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler agreed to give her a new attorney because of "irreconcilable differences."
Palfrey is using court-appointed attorneys. The government has seized most of her assets, accusing her of laundering more than $2 million in revenue from the business.
The ABC News show "20/20" on Friday plans to air what it has learned about Deborah Jeane Palfrey's business from 46 pounds of phone records she gave the network before a judge's order barring her from releasing them took effect.
Palfrey, 51, of Vallejo, Calif., is charged in federal court with racketeering and money laundering associated with prostitution.
She contends that she ran Pamela Martin and Associates as a "legal, high-end erotic fantasy service" and that the women who worked for her signed contracts in which they promised not to have sex with clients. Prosecutors said she knew the 130 women she employed over 13 years engaged in prostitution.
Palfrey has said she gave ABC News the phone records because she hopes a network investigation of the records would compel customers to testify they did not engage in sexual conduct with the escorts.
Senior State Department official Randall Tobias resigned from his post last week after ABC confronted him about his use of the service. Tobias has said he obtained massages but denied having sex with the escorts.
In court papers filed last month, Palfrey named Harlan Ullman, known as an author of the "shock and awe" combat strategy, as a regular customer. Ullman has said the accusation does not merit a response.
On Thursday, a lawyer for Palfrey said an instructor at the U.S. Naval Academy was one of the service's escorts and ABC reported that a secretary at a prominent law firm was another escort.
Palfrey told ABC that most of her escorts worked for her because they needed the money. Palfrey said she urged the women who answered her newspaper and phone book ads to think seriously before signing up.
"Many of these girls had never done this kind of work before," Palfrey said.
Palfrey said some of the most popular women were in their 50s. She said there was never an age limit, and that most of the women worked about three shifts a week, ending each night at 11 p.m.
"I made sure they either worked or went to school in the daytime," she said.
Montgomery Blair Sibley, Palfrey's civil attorney, confirmed a report in the Navy Times that an academy instructor worked as an independent contractor for Palfrey's service. Sibley said he didn't know whether the person is still at the academy.
An academy spokeswoman said she had no information about Sibley's claim.
A prestigious D.C. law firm -- Akin, Gump, Strauss, Houer and Feld -- has placed a legal secretary on administrative leave after she informed her employer that she moonlighted for Palfrey's escort service for spa money, according to ABC News. The ABC News Web site said the woman told her bosses that she was a government witness in the case, so the law firm hesitated to dismiss her, despite her apparent violation of a policy barring employees from holding second jobs.
A spokesman for the firm told News4, "This is an internal personnel matter, and as such, we will not provide comment."
News4's Jackie Bensen reported that the story is the talk of the downtown D.C. legal community.
The network has said the list of Palfrey's customers also includes a Bush administration economist, a prominent chief executive officer, the head of a conservative think tank, lobbyists and military officials.
Palfrey and the Internet radio station wsRadio.com will auction tapes of five one-hour interviews with her next week, The Washington Post reported for Friday's editions. Bids will start at $5,000.
The station's president, Chris Murch, declined to disclose details of the contract to the newspaper but said Palfrey will donate 10 percent of the proceeds to charity.
Palfrey reportedly does not reveal any names in that interview.
Prosecutors raised the prospect this week that Palfrey could jump bail now that she's been removed from electronic monitoring, pointing out that she's done it before.
In 1991, she skipped out on her pending trial for pimping out women and other charges in California, leaving only a long, rambling letter with her attorney.
"Prison is an absurd and unthinkable horror for me to embrace for simply being an enterprising business person," she wrote. "For God's sake, I was only running an escort service!"
She claimed -- much as she claims now -- that her lawyers failed her and that police and prosecutors were out to get her.
A few months later, she was arrested in Montana at the Canadian border. It is not clear whether she was leaving the country or seeking to re-enter. She was later sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to attempted pimping.
In the current case, she has also complained about alleged prosecutorial misconduct and her court-appointed lawyer.
In court this week, U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler agreed to give her a new attorney because of "irreconcilable differences."
Palfrey is using court-appointed attorneys. The government has seized most of her assets, accusing her of laundering more than $2 million in revenue from the business.
Senator's Wife Once Compared Self To Lorena Bobbitt
The wife of Louisiana Sen. David Vitter is apparently more forgiving than she once let on.
Vitter, R-La., apologized Monday night for "a very serious sin in my past" after his telephone number appeared among those associated with an escort service operated by the so-called D.C. Madam.
"This was a very serious sin in my past for which I am, of course, completely responsible," Vitter said in the statement. "Several years ago, I asked for and received forgiveness from God and my wife in confession and marriage counseling. Out of respect for my family, I will keep my discussion of the matter there -- with God and them. But I certainly offer my deep and sincere apologies to all I have disappointed and let down in any way."
The statement containing Vitter's apology said his telephone number was on old phone records made before he ran for the Senate. He also said he's made peace with his wife, and with God.
Seven years ago, Wendy Vitter told Newhouse News Service she could not be as forgiving as Hillary Rodham Clinton or the wife of Republican Congressman Robert Livingston, who admitted to extramarital affairs and quit Congress.
Vitter instead said she was "a lot more like Lorena Bobbitt," who drew worldwide attention after she cut off her husband's penis in 1993.
Deborah Jeane Palfrey was accused in federal court of racketeering by running a prostitution ring that netted more than $2 million over 13 years, beginning in 1993. She contends, however, that her escort service, Pamela Martin and Associates, was a legitimate business.
Vitter, 46, a Republican in his first Senate term, was elected to the Senate in 2004. He represented Louisiana's 1st Congressional District in the House from 1999 to 2004.
Vitter and his wife live in Metairie, La., with their four children.
Palfrey's attorney, Montgomery Blair Sibley, told the AP, "I'm stunned that someone would be apologizing for this already." He said Palfrey had posted the names of her escort service's clients online Monday, but he did not know whether Vitter's name was among them.
The AP was unable to connect to Palfrey's Web site Monday night.
Earlier this year Palfrey, 51, of Vallejo, Calif., asked the Supreme Court to delay the criminal case against her -- a request the court denied in May. Her attorney had argued that it was unfair to proceed against Palfrey because her assets remain seized in a civil forfeiture case, meaning she lacks the money to hire an attorney of her choice.
Randall Tobias, a senior official in the State Department, resigned in April after ABC News confronted him about his use of the escort service. He admitted that he had hired women to come to his Washington condo and give him massages but denied that he had sex with the escorts.
Vitter, R-La., apologized Monday night for "a very serious sin in my past" after his telephone number appeared among those associated with an escort service operated by the so-called D.C. Madam.
"This was a very serious sin in my past for which I am, of course, completely responsible," Vitter said in the statement. "Several years ago, I asked for and received forgiveness from God and my wife in confession and marriage counseling. Out of respect for my family, I will keep my discussion of the matter there -- with God and them. But I certainly offer my deep and sincere apologies to all I have disappointed and let down in any way."
The statement containing Vitter's apology said his telephone number was on old phone records made before he ran for the Senate. He also said he's made peace with his wife, and with God.
Seven years ago, Wendy Vitter told Newhouse News Service she could not be as forgiving as Hillary Rodham Clinton or the wife of Republican Congressman Robert Livingston, who admitted to extramarital affairs and quit Congress.
Vitter instead said she was "a lot more like Lorena Bobbitt," who drew worldwide attention after she cut off her husband's penis in 1993.
Deborah Jeane Palfrey was accused in federal court of racketeering by running a prostitution ring that netted more than $2 million over 13 years, beginning in 1993. She contends, however, that her escort service, Pamela Martin and Associates, was a legitimate business.
Vitter, 46, a Republican in his first Senate term, was elected to the Senate in 2004. He represented Louisiana's 1st Congressional District in the House from 1999 to 2004.
Vitter and his wife live in Metairie, La., with their four children.
Palfrey's attorney, Montgomery Blair Sibley, told the AP, "I'm stunned that someone would be apologizing for this already." He said Palfrey had posted the names of her escort service's clients online Monday, but he did not know whether Vitter's name was among them.
The AP was unable to connect to Palfrey's Web site Monday night.
Earlier this year Palfrey, 51, of Vallejo, Calif., asked the Supreme Court to delay the criminal case against her -- a request the court denied in May. Her attorney had argued that it was unfair to proceed against Palfrey because her assets remain seized in a civil forfeiture case, meaning she lacks the money to hire an attorney of her choice.
Randall Tobias, a senior official in the State Department, resigned in April after ABC News confronted him about his use of the escort service. He admitted that he had hired women to come to his Washington condo and give him massages but denied that he had sex with the escorts.
Vitter Apologizes For Connection With D.C. Madam
Louisiana Sen. David Vitter was back on Capitol Hill Tuesday after admitting ties to a Washington escort service.
The Republican has been out of the public eye since he apologized July 9 for what he called a "very serious sin." His phone number had been listed among those of clients of the escort service that prosecutors claim was a prostitution ring.
At a news conference Monday in Louisiana with his wife, Wendy, at his side, Vitter again apologized to those he "disappointed and let down" with his past actions.
Telephone records show the service called Vitter's number five times from 1999 to 2001, while he was a U.S. representative.
Vitter also denied that he had had relationships with New Orleans prostitutes.
Vitter did not take questions. But his wife, Wendy, stepped to the podium and called her husband her "best friend."
Wendy Vitter said they dealt with the issue years ago, and she forgave him, adding, "To forgive is not always the easy choice, but it was and is the right choice for me."
The Republican has been out of the public eye since he apologized July 9 for what he called a "very serious sin." His phone number had been listed among those of clients of the escort service that prosecutors claim was a prostitution ring.
At a news conference Monday in Louisiana with his wife, Wendy, at his side, Vitter again apologized to those he "disappointed and let down" with his past actions.
Telephone records show the service called Vitter's number five times from 1999 to 2001, while he was a U.S. representative.
Vitter also denied that he had had relationships with New Orleans prostitutes.
Vitter did not take questions. But his wife, Wendy, stepped to the podium and called her husband her "best friend."
Wendy Vitter said they dealt with the issue years ago, and she forgave him, adding, "To forgive is not always the easy choice, but it was and is the right choice for me."
Sen. Vitter On Witness List In Alleged D.C. Madam Case
Sen. David Vitter, of Louisiana, may be called to testify in the upcoming trial of a woman accused of running a high-end Washington prostitution ring.
Defense attorneys listed the Republican senator among potential witnesses Monday as the jury was selected for the case against Deborah Palfrey. Vitter has acknowledged being involved with the escort service. But after issuing brief statements apologizing for what he called "a very serious sin," he has ducked follow-up questions.
On the witness stand, he would not have had that luxury.
Randall Tobias, a former senior State Department official, also is on Palfrey's witness list. Military strategist Harlan Ullman, who is known for developing the "shock and awe" warfare strategy, is on the government's witness list.
Palfrey is facing racketeering charges connected to her operation of a high-end escort service. Palfrey said the business was a legitimate erotic fantasy service. Prosecutors said her employees provided sex for money from 1993 to 2006.
In opening statements Monday afternoon, Palfrey's attorney said his client only sold appointments and had no control over what took place during those appointments.
The prosecution then called its first witness, a postal inspector, who testified that woman believed to be prostitutes sent Palfrey money by mail.
The trial is expected to last three or four weeks.
Palfrey provided ABC News with access to her escort service's telephone records for a May segment of "20/20."
Defense attorneys listed the Republican senator among potential witnesses Monday as the jury was selected for the case against Deborah Palfrey. Vitter has acknowledged being involved with the escort service. But after issuing brief statements apologizing for what he called "a very serious sin," he has ducked follow-up questions.
On the witness stand, he would not have had that luxury.
Randall Tobias, a former senior State Department official, also is on Palfrey's witness list. Military strategist Harlan Ullman, who is known for developing the "shock and awe" warfare strategy, is on the government's witness list.
Palfrey is facing racketeering charges connected to her operation of a high-end escort service. Palfrey said the business was a legitimate erotic fantasy service. Prosecutors said her employees provided sex for money from 1993 to 2006.
In opening statements Monday afternoon, Palfrey's attorney said his client only sold appointments and had no control over what took place during those appointments.
The prosecution then called its first witness, a postal inspector, who testified that woman believed to be prostitutes sent Palfrey money by mail.
The trial is expected to last three or four weeks.
Palfrey provided ABC News with access to her escort service's telephone records for a May segment of "20/20."
Call Girls, Customers Testify In Trial Of Alleged D.C. Madam
Jurors in the federal racketeering and money laundering trial of accused D.C. madam Deborah Palfrey heard testimony from call girls and customers Tuesday.
In her opening statement, Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine Connelly said more than a dozen women would be called to testify.
Prosecutors said Palfrey's employees provided sex for money from 1993 to 2006. Palfrey has maintained the escort business she operated from California was a legitimate erotic fantasy service, and she has said if her employees provided sex for money they did so without her knowledge.
"My understanding was I wouldn't be hired unless I was having sex with men," said call girl Sharon King.
King admitted signing a contract not to engage in illegal activity. She added, "[Palfrey] was very careful not to state blatantly words like 'sex.'"
Former call girl Donna Raphael testified that she had sex with clients about 90 percent of the time, but earlier, she told the grand jury that she had sex with clients only 5 percent of the time.
Two lawyers testified to being customers of the escort service. One said he had more than 50 appointments with the escort service and had sex almost every time, but he admitted he never directly discussed sex with Palfrey. The other said he made more than 100 appointments. The two appointments in which he did not have sex, he did not have to pay.
Defense attorney Preston Burton told jurors his client did nothing wrong, likening her job to that of a taxi dispatcher.
The defense witness list includes former deputy secretary of state Randall Tobias, who resigned after acknowledging to ABC News that he used Palfrey's service for massages. It also includes Louisiana Senator David Vitter, who has acknowledged being involved with the service.
In her opening statement, Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine Connelly said more than a dozen women would be called to testify.
Prosecutors said Palfrey's employees provided sex for money from 1993 to 2006. Palfrey has maintained the escort business she operated from California was a legitimate erotic fantasy service, and she has said if her employees provided sex for money they did so without her knowledge.
"My understanding was I wouldn't be hired unless I was having sex with men," said call girl Sharon King.
King admitted signing a contract not to engage in illegal activity. She added, "[Palfrey] was very careful not to state blatantly words like 'sex.'"
Former call girl Donna Raphael testified that she had sex with clients about 90 percent of the time, but earlier, she told the grand jury that she had sex with clients only 5 percent of the time.
Two lawyers testified to being customers of the escort service. One said he had more than 50 appointments with the escort service and had sex almost every time, but he admitted he never directly discussed sex with Palfrey. The other said he made more than 100 appointments. The two appointments in which he did not have sex, he did not have to pay.
Defense attorney Preston Burton told jurors his client did nothing wrong, likening her job to that of a taxi dispatcher.
The defense witness list includes former deputy secretary of state Randall Tobias, who resigned after acknowledging to ABC News that he used Palfrey's service for massages. It also includes Louisiana Senator David Vitter, who has acknowledged being involved with the service.
Woman Says Interview For Alleged Prostitution Ring Included Sex Act
Five more women who worked for the alleged D.C. madam testified Wednesday that she never discussed sex with them but that it was an implied part of the job.
Deborah Palfrey is accused of running an escort service in D.C. as a front for a high-priced prostitution ring. She faces federal charges including racketeering and money laundering.
The five women who testified Wednesday all said Palfrey never discussed their having sex with customers but that it was implied when they were hired.
Rhona Reiss, 63, was the first person to testify Wednesday. She testified that she had sex with at least 100 male clients during a 14-month period. She also said she had to perform a sex act as part of her job interview.
Reiss said Palfrey used the terms "adult entertainment" and "full-service agency," News4's Jane Watrel reported. Reiss said she was paid $250 per appointment and had sex with all but two of her clients.
Reiss, who has a Ph. D and left the court disguised by a wig, also said she was not forced to do anything during her appointments.
Kristen Shavatt said she was fired by the service in 2003 because she didn't stay for the full 90 minutes.
Another former call girl with the service said she tried it 14 years ago and didn't like it so she tried to quit, but Palfrey threatened to expose her.
One of the call girls who take the stand, who has an MBA, said she tried to buy the escort service in 2002 in order to make it a straight escort service with no sex. Business dropped, so Palfrey resumed control of the service.
Defense attorneys argue that Palfrey only sold appointments and had no control of her employees' or clients' actions.
Deborah Palfrey is accused of running an escort service in D.C. as a front for a high-priced prostitution ring. She faces federal charges including racketeering and money laundering.
The five women who testified Wednesday all said Palfrey never discussed their having sex with customers but that it was implied when they were hired.
Rhona Reiss, 63, was the first person to testify Wednesday. She testified that she had sex with at least 100 male clients during a 14-month period. She also said she had to perform a sex act as part of her job interview.
Reiss said Palfrey used the terms "adult entertainment" and "full-service agency," News4's Jane Watrel reported. Reiss said she was paid $250 per appointment and had sex with all but two of her clients.
Reiss, who has a Ph. D and left the court disguised by a wig, also said she was not forced to do anything during her appointments.
Kristen Shavatt said she was fired by the service in 2003 because she didn't stay for the full 90 minutes.
Another former call girl with the service said she tried it 14 years ago and didn't like it so she tried to quit, but Palfrey threatened to expose her.
One of the call girls who take the stand, who has an MBA, said she tried to buy the escort service in 2002 in order to make it a straight escort service with no sex. Business dropped, so Palfrey resumed control of the service.
Defense attorneys argue that Palfrey only sold appointments and had no control of her employees' or clients' actions.
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