Deborah Jeane Palfrey
Encyclopedia
Deborah Jeane Palfrey (dubbed the D.C. Madam
by the news media
) operated Pamela Martin and Associates, an escort agency
in Washington, D.C.
Although she argued that the company's services were legal, she was convicted on April 15, 2008 of racketeering, using the mail for illegal purposes, and money laundering
. Slightly over two weeks later, facing a prison sentence of five or six years, she was found hanged
. Autopsy
results and the final police investigative report concluded that her death was a suicide
.
, but grew up in her teens in Orlando, Florida
. Her father was a grocer. She graduated from Rollins College
with a degree in criminal justice
, and attended Thomas Jefferson School of Law
, but did not graduate. Working as a paralegal
in San Diego, California
, and later as a cocktail waitress, she became involved in the escort business. Dismayed at how most services were run, including widespread drug abuse
, she started her own company recruiting mostly women over 25. In 1990 she was arrested on charges of pimp
ing, pandering and extortion
; after fleeing to Montana
she was captured while trying to cross the Canadian
border and brought back for trial. Following her conviction in 1992 she spent 18 months in jail. After her release, she founded Pamela Martin and Associates.
agents posed as a couple who were interested in buying Palfrey's home as a means of accessing her property without a warrant
. Agents froze bank accounts worth over US$500,000, seizing papers relating to money laundering
and prostitution
charges.
According to the government's criminal charges, Palfrey's service recruited escort
s using The Diamondback
, an independent University of Maryland
student newspaper, and the Washington City Paper
. Her escorts charged as much as $300 per hour. Many have had professional careers. Palfrey continued to reside in California
, and cleared some US$2 million over 13 years in operation.
Palfrey appeared on ABC
's 20/20 as part of an investigative report on 4 May 2007. In combination with Palfrey's statement that she had 10,000 to 15,000 phone numbers of clients, this caused several clients' lawyer
s to contact Palfrey to see whether accommodations could be made to keep their identities private. Ultimately, ABC News
, after going through what was described as "46 lb" [21 kg] of phone records, decided that none of the potential clients was sufficiently "newsworthy" to bother mentioning.
The scandal led to the resignation of Ambassador
Randall L. Tobias
from his State Department
position and as the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development. Also named as a regular client was columnist and military strategist Harlan Ullman, creator of the concept of "shock and awe", of the Center for Strategic and International Studies
and the Washington Times. Neither testified at Palfrey's trial.
On July 9, 2007, Palfrey released the supposed entirety of her phone records for public viewing and downloading on the Internet in TIFF format, though days prior to this, her civil attorney Montgomery Blair Sibley had dispatched 54 CD-ROM
copies to researchers, activists, and journalists. Senator David Vitter
(R-LA
) acknowledged on the night of July 9 that he had been a customer of her escort service.
In early 2007, Palfrey reacted to the suicide by hanging
of Brandy Britton, one of her former escort service employees, by saying, "I guess I'm made of something that Brandy Britton wasn't made of."
Thirteen former escorts and three former clients testified at her trial.
The witnesses were compelled to testify, after being granted immunity from prosecution.
On April 15, 2008, a jury found Palfrey guilty of money laundering
, using the mail for illegal purposes and racketeering. Palfrey believed that contrary to the U.S. Attorney's Office lower estimate, she might spend six or seven years behind bars. She faced a maximum of 55 years in prison.
Palfrey's death resulted in her conviction being vacated
.
in Tarpon Springs, Florida
. Officials determined her death to be a suicide. Police found handwritten suicide notes in the bedroom where she was staying, dated a week before her death. The autopsy and the final police investigation concluded her death was a suicide.
". She said she feared that, at the end of serving her sentence, she would be "in my late 50s a broken, penniless and very much alone woman".
' blog, The Lede, that some on the Internet were skeptical that her death was a suicide. News accounts at the time reported that her mother said she had "no indication" that Palfrey was planning to commit suicide, though she later stated, "I was afraid constantly [for her]. I watched her like a hawk." Palfrey had stated in an interview on the Alex Jones show that she was not thinking of suicide and was motivated to present her case at trial.
After investigating the crime scene, police found "no new evidence [that] would indicate anything other than suicide by hanging" nor did the final police investigative report released six months later. The police stated that Palfrey's family believed the notes were written by Palfrey. Palfrey sought to put her affairs in order before her death as she turned over the ownership of her high school alumni web site to a classmate, had moved her possessions to her mother's home, whom she was staying with at the time, and had transferred money from her accounts to her mother's. The day before, she reviewed her pre-incarceration papers and watched videos of her deceased father.
Journalist Dan Moldea
, who was working with Palfrey on a book, recalled that in a 2007 conversation, Palfrey told him, "I am not going back to prison. I will commit suicide first." He said her previous prison experience had traumatized
her and she felt she couldn't do it again.
Pimp
A pimp is an agent for prostitutes who collects part of their earnings. The pimp may receive this money in return for advertising services, physical protection, or for providing a location where she may engage clients...
by the news media
News media
The news media are those elements of the mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public.These include print media , broadcast news , and more recently the Internet .-Etymology:A medium is a carrier of something...
) operated Pamela Martin and Associates, an escort agency
Escort agency
Escort agencies are companies that provide escorts for the agency's clients. The agency typically arranges a meeting between one of its escorts and the client at the customer's house or hotel room , or at the escort's residence . Some agencies also provide escorts for longer durations, who may stay...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Although she argued that the company's services were legal, she was convicted on April 15, 2008 of racketeering, using the mail for illegal purposes, and money laundering
Money laundering
Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...
. Slightly over two weeks later, facing a prison sentence of five or six years, she was found hanged
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
. Autopsy
Autopsy
An autopsy—also known as a post-mortem examination, necropsy , autopsia cadaverum, or obduction—is a highly specialized surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse to determine the cause and manner of death and to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present...
results and the final police investigative report concluded that her death was a suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
.
Early life
Palfrey was born in the Pittsburgh suburb of Charleroi, PennsylvaniaCharleroi, Pennsylvania
Charleroi is a borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, along the Monongahela River, 25 miles south of Pittsburgh. Charleroi was settled in 1890 and incorporated in 1891. The population in 1900 stood at 5,930; in 1910, 9,615; in 1920, 11,516, and in 1940, 10,784...
, but grew up in her teens in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
. Her father was a grocer. She graduated from Rollins College
Rollins College
Rollins College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Winter Park, Florida , along the shores of Lake Virginia....
with a degree in criminal justice
Criminal justice
Criminal Justice is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, or sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts...
, and attended Thomas Jefferson School of Law
Thomas Jefferson School of Law
Thomas Jefferson School of Law, or TJSL, is an independent law school in San Diego, California. It offers a Juris Doctor, and three Master of Laws programs, including one that is exclusively online, as well as a combined J.D./M.B.A. with San Diego State University...
, but did not graduate. Working as a paralegal
Paralegal
Paralegal is used in most jurisdictions to describe a paraprofessional who assists qualified lawyers in their legal work. This is true in the United States and many other countries. However, in Ontario, Canada, paralegals are licensed by the Law Society of Upper Canada, giving paralegals an...
in San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, and later as a cocktail waitress, she became involved in the escort business. Dismayed at how most services were run, including widespread drug abuse
Drug abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...
, she started her own company recruiting mostly women over 25. In 1990 she was arrested on charges of pimp
Pimp
A pimp is an agent for prostitutes who collects part of their earnings. The pimp may receive this money in return for advertising services, physical protection, or for providing a location where she may engage clients...
ing, pandering and extortion
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
; after fleeing to Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
she was captured while trying to cross the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
border and brought back for trial. Following her conviction in 1992 she spent 18 months in jail. After her release, she founded Pamela Martin and Associates.
D.C. Madam scandal
In October 2006, United States Postal Inspection ServiceUnited States Postal Inspection Service
The United States Postal Inspection Service is the law enforcement arm of the United States Postal Service. Its jurisdiction is defined as "crimes that may adversely affect or fraudulently use the U.S...
agents posed as a couple who were interested in buying Palfrey's home as a means of accessing her property without a warrant
Warrant (law)
Most often, the term warrant refers to a specific type of authorization; a writ issued by a competent officer, usually a judge or magistrate, which permits an otherwise illegal act that would violate individual rights and affords the person executing the writ protection from damages if the act is...
. Agents froze bank accounts worth over US$500,000, seizing papers relating to money laundering
Money laundering
Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...
and prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
charges.
According to the government's criminal charges, Palfrey's service recruited escort
Call girl
A call girl or female escort is a sex worker who is not visible to the general public; nor does she usually work in an institution like a brothel, although she may be employed by an escort agency...
s using The Diamondback
The Diamondback
The Diamondback is the independent student newspaper of the University of Maryland, College Park. It was founded in 1910 as The Triangle and renamed in 1921 in honor of a local reptile, the Diamondback terrapin...
, an independent University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
student newspaper, and the Washington City Paper
Washington City Paper
The Washington City Paper is a U.S. alternative weekly newspaper serving the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.Founded in 1981, and published for its first year under the masthead 1981, taking the City Paper name in volume 2, by Russ Smith, it shared ownership with the Chicago Reader from 1982...
. Her escorts charged as much as $300 per hour. Many have had professional careers. Palfrey continued to reside in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and cleared some US$2 million over 13 years in operation.
Palfrey appeared on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's 20/20 as part of an investigative report on 4 May 2007. In combination with Palfrey's statement that she had 10,000 to 15,000 phone numbers of clients, this caused several clients' lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
s to contact Palfrey to see whether accommodations could be made to keep their identities private. Ultimately, ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
, after going through what was described as "46 lb" [21 kg] of phone records, decided that none of the potential clients was sufficiently "newsworthy" to bother mentioning.
The scandal led to the resignation of Ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
Randall L. Tobias
Randall L. Tobias
Randall L. Tobias is a former chief executive officer of Eli Lilly and Company who became the first United States Director of Foreign Assistance, and served concurrently as the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development , with the rank of Ambassador...
from his State Department
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
position and as the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development. Also named as a regular client was columnist and military strategist Harlan Ullman, creator of the concept of "shock and awe", of the Center for Strategic and International Studies
Center for Strategic and International Studies
The Center for Strategic and International Studies is a bipartisan Washington, D.C., foreign policy think tank. The center was founded in 1962 by Admiral Arleigh Burke and Ambassador David Manker Abshire, originally as part of Georgetown University...
and the Washington Times. Neither testified at Palfrey's trial.
On July 9, 2007, Palfrey released the supposed entirety of her phone records for public viewing and downloading on the Internet in TIFF format, though days prior to this, her civil attorney Montgomery Blair Sibley had dispatched 54 CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
copies to researchers, activists, and journalists. Senator David Vitter
David Vitter
David Vitter is the junior United States Senator from Louisiana and a member of the Republican Party. Previously, he served in the United States House of Representatives, representing the suburban Louisiana's 1st congressional district. He served as a member of the Louisiana House of...
(R-LA
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
) acknowledged on the night of July 9 that he had been a customer of her escort service.
In early 2007, Palfrey reacted to the suicide by hanging
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
of Brandy Britton, one of her former escort service employees, by saying, "I guess I'm made of something that Brandy Britton wasn't made of."
Thirteen former escorts and three former clients testified at her trial.
The witnesses were compelled to testify, after being granted immunity from prosecution.
On April 15, 2008, a jury found Palfrey guilty of money laundering
Money laundering
Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...
, using the mail for illegal purposes and racketeering. Palfrey believed that contrary to the U.S. Attorney's Office lower estimate, she might spend six or seven years behind bars. She faced a maximum of 55 years in prison.
Palfrey's death resulted in her conviction being vacated
Vacated judgment
A vacated judgment makes a previous legal judgment legally void. A vacated judgment is usually the result of the judgment of an appellate court which overturns, reverses, or sets aside the judgment of a lower court....
.
Death
On May 1, 2008, Palfrey was found hanging in a storage shed outside her mother's mobile homeMobile home
Mobile homes or static caravans are prefabricated homes built in factories, rather than on site, and then taken to the place where they will be occupied...
in Tarpon Springs, Florida
Tarpon Springs, Florida
Tarpon Springs is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. The population was 21,003 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2004 estimates, the city had a population of 22,554....
. Officials determined her death to be a suicide. Police found handwritten suicide notes in the bedroom where she was staying, dated a week before her death. The autopsy and the final police investigation concluded her death was a suicide.
Suicide notes
Palfrey's two handwritten notes were released to the public. In one of them, she wrote to her sister, "You must comprehend there was no way out, I.E. 'exit strategy,' for me other than the one I have chosen here." In another, she described her predicament as a "modern-day lynchingLynching
Lynching is an extrajudicial execution carried out by a mob, often by hanging, but also by burning at the stake or shooting, in order to punish an alleged transgressor, or to intimidate, control, or otherwise manipulate a population of people. It is related to other means of social control that...
". She said she feared that, at the end of serving her sentence, she would be "in my late 50s a broken, penniless and very much alone woman".
Speculation surrounding her death
The New York Timess Patrick J. Lyons wrote on the TimesAfter investigating the crime scene, police found "no new evidence [that] would indicate anything other than suicide by hanging" nor did the final police investigative report released six months later. The police stated that Palfrey's family believed the notes were written by Palfrey. Palfrey sought to put her affairs in order before her death as she turned over the ownership of her high school alumni web site to a classmate, had moved her possessions to her mother's home, whom she was staying with at the time, and had transferred money from her accounts to her mother's. The day before, she reviewed her pre-incarceration papers and watched videos of her deceased father.
Journalist Dan Moldea
Dan Moldea
Dan E. Moldea is a best-selling author and investigative journalist who has reported on organized crime and political corruption since 1974. He is the author of books about the rise and fall of Jimmy Hoffa, the contract killing of an Ohio businessman, the Mafia's penetration of Hollywood, and its...
, who was working with Palfrey on a book, recalled that in a 2007 conversation, Palfrey told him, "I am not going back to prison. I will commit suicide first." He said her previous prison experience had traumatized
Psychological trauma
Psychological trauma is a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a traumatic event...
her and she felt she couldn't do it again.
External links
- D.C. Madam Suicide Notes, The Smoking GunThe Smoking GunThe Smoking Gun is a website that posts legal documents, arrest records, and police mugshots on a daily basis. The intent is to bring to the public light information that is damning, shocking, outrageous, or amazing, yet also somewhat obscure or unreported by more mainstream media sources...
, New York Times - Shephard, Alicia. "DC Madam Tells (Not Quite) All", Washingtonian, May 22, 2007.