The “D.C. Madam,” who advertised for escorts in The Diamondback, hanged herself yesterday at her mother’s home in Tarpon Springs, Fla., according to an Associated Press report.
Deborah Jeane Palfrey, 52, operated a prostitution ring for nearly 13 years in the Washington area, recruiting women from the university and through online advertisements, the yellow pages and the Washington City Paper.
Palfrey’s prostitution business, disguised as an escort service called Pamela Martin & Associates, allegedly catered to government officials in Washington. Palfrey was convicted on April 15 of money laundering, racketeering and using the mail for illegal purposes. Her lawyers denied anyone in her escort service engaged in sexual acts for money, arguing only the service catered to clients’ fantasies.
According to the AP, police said Palfrey left at least two suicide notes for her family in a notebook, but the contents of the notes were not released. Dan Moldea, a writer in Washington and a friend of Palfrey’s, said she had previously indicated she would rather commit suicide than go back to prison.
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office and the Tarpon Springs Police Department, both in Florida, could not be reached for comment.
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.
-Compiled from staff and wire reports.
