A woman who was charged with running a prostitute ring involving many senior officials and celebrities in the U.S. capital of District of Columbia was believed to commit suicide, police said on Thursday.
Deborah Jeane Palfrey, know as "D.C. Madam," was found dead in the morning at her mother's home in Tarpon Springs, Florida, local police said at a news conference, adding the body has not been positively identified.
In this March 9, 2007 file photo Deborah Jeane Palfrey reads a statement outside federal court in Washington. Palfrey who was charged with running a prostitute ring involving many senior officials and celebrities in the U.S. capital of District of Columbia was believed to commit suicide, police said on Thursday May 1, 2008. Palfrey faced about five or six years in prison and was free pending her sentencing July 24. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Police also found a suicide note near the body but the cause of the death is still under investigation.
Palfrey was convicted by a federal court in D.C. on April 15 of all charges including money laundering, using the mail for illegal purposes and racketeering.
The 52-year-old procuress attained a criminal justice degree in college but ended up as a cocktail waitress in California. Later on, she became involved in the escort services and was arrested several times for the prostitution charge.
According to the court papers, Palfrey has earned about 2 million dollars from her own company in 13 years of operation before she was seized in October, 2006.
However, she has been distancing her escort services company from any dirty deal, saying she was not aware even if any of her girls engaged in sex acts for money.
But prosecutors insisted that Palfrey's company was also open to provide sex services to its clients by allowing them to have 90minutes with a woman at the price of 250 U.S. dollars.
The news that she was netted dropped a bomb in the capital since many political and military elite were proved or suspected of patronizing her company.
David Vitter, a Republican Senator, has acknowledged being involved in Palfrey's escort service and made a public apology for his "very serious sin."
The inventor of the concept of "shock and awe" for the U.S. attacks against Iraq in March, 2003, Harlan Ullman, was also called by Palfrey as a frequent client.
Palfrey was set to be sentenced on July 24.
Source: Xinhua
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