March 9, 2007
D.C. Could Finally Get Sex Scandal it's Been Waiting For
Clearly, the District is tired of being referred to as "Hollywood for Ugly People." Instead, we'd like to be called "Hollywood for Ugly People Who Also Pay for Sex." The Washington Times has the latest on a bomb of salacious gossip that may be about to go off in our fair city. For some background, The Smoking Gun first talked about the case back in October. It's hard to know whether to be worried or terribly, terribly excited.
Federal prosecutors want to keep a California woman accused of running a prostitution business in the District from identifying her former clients.
Deborah J. Palfrey, who was indicted last week on racketeering and other felony charges, has announced plans to sell off more than a decade's worth of customer phone records so she can hire an attorney.
Palfrey has allegedly been running this prostitution business, Pamela Martin & Associates, from her home in California since 1993, running ads in the Washington City Paper for "escorts" (we know, who could have guessed those ads are actually for hookers) and introducing lonely D.C. men to one of the 132 women she's had in her employ. Last week she was indicted on racketeering and other felony charges, coming after months of legal battles over a civil forfeiture case in which authorities seized approximately $500,000 in stocks, bank accounts and gold coins. As part of the seizure, liens have also been placed on two of her California properties because the houses were purchased with illegal proceeds from the prostitution business.
So in an attempt to get her money and property back, Palfrey is playing the only card she has left -- the phone records and list of all her johns, which theoretically includes powerful Washington politicians and lobbyists. The Politico learned about her intentions to sell the list on March 1, and now prosecutors are seeking to prevent her from doing so. Heidi Fleiss would be so proud.
Begin speculating who's on the list in 5, 4, 3 ...
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Why sell the whole list when you could just blackmail a few select list-ees? If the list is really that good...
Because she has been indicted on felony charges and is obviously being scrutinized by the Feds. I do not think she wants to go around committing some more crimes.
But isn't the sale of the list constructive blackmail? Anyone on it (who cares) will surely bid.
I think the highest bidder should consider the purchase of the list an investment. Buy the list, read it, and blackmail each high profile politico separately. Your name is protected and you make back all the money you blew (heh) on prostitutes! It's a win/win!
We all know that going after a madam is selective prosecution at it's worst. I mean, come now, peoples. There is prostitution everywhere. Yet we only prosecute a very few. Why? I say let her expose them all. It'll be fun for days.
And why shouldn't selling sex be legal? You can sell other functions, like working with your hands (think construction) or any sort of mental labor. Why can't you sell working with your 'special parts'? Anti prostitution laws are stupid, they treat us like children, and they actually help spread STDs.
One can only hope the list includes male boy toys as well and that some Republicans are on that list as well.
Yes to comments 4, 5, and 6. If we're lucky, this'll make the colorado fundi preacher scandal look like pre-K show and tell.
Selling sex is legal.. as long as you tape it. Then you're just making movies and everything's A-OK!
Guess we know why Gingrich came clean.
Gingrich came clean to neutralize the issue so he can run for President.
Hillman,
The average age of entry into prostitution for females is 12-14 (see the DOJ's website). Under federal law, any male or female who engages in commercial sex acts while under the age of 18 is a victim of human trafficking. A lot of prostitutes don't need to be prosecuted: they need protection, counseling, and access to education and other social services.
The majority of prostitutes work under pimp control (see the DOJ again, if you want a reference). Although "pimping" is glamorized in American culture, the harsh reality is that pimps beat, rape, gang-rape, starve, emotionally abuse, and sell the women under their control. The women do not see a dime of the money made from the sale of their bodies. One local nonprofit (Polaris Project) determined and testified before Congress that the pimp of one of their clients probably made approximately $642,000 tax free per year by selling her and other women.
The real criminals are the pimps and madams (women can be traffickers as well) who economically and sexually exploit minors and vunerable adults, and the "johns" who purchase sex and perpetuate the demand.
katie,
but would that be more or less likely if prostitution were legal? It's that whole legal, safe, rights protected by the law kind of stuff. It could be illegal to hire minors, but everything else legal so that the authorities have an easier time cracking down on the bad stuff and the demand for pay-sex would hopefully shift toward the safer legal kind.
I am from Sri Lanka. In this other corner of the world we felt the fall out of the DC scandal. The madam here is spotted and depicted as a gold digging hooker. Sexual fantasies are universally felt but scarcely acknowledged. If a formulae is worked out where sexual fascinations are titillated without recoursing to the real thing, should the same invite such disgrace. The list itself, given the vasr spectrum of people, is demonstrative of acceptability og her conduct.