DC sex scandal madam found dead
Police discovered the body of a woman believed to be convicted DC Madam Deborah Jeane Palfrey, in what appears to be an apparent suicide, in Tarpon Springs Florida on Thursday.
A former employee of Palfrey, Brandy Britton, killed herself in 2007 after being arrested on charges of prostitution.
Local reports are confirming that the body found in Florida is Palfrey, but the Associated Press and CNN are still reporting that the body has not been officially identified.
“Detectives are investigating an apparent suicide of a (white female) that appears to be in her early 50s,” Tarpon Springs police said in a news release.
Palfrey, 52, who was convicted April 15th by a US federal jury on charges of running a prostitution service for high-powered businessmen, had been staying at her mother’s house in Florida awaiting sentencing of up to 50 years in prison.
Police report that they discovered the woman’s body in a shed near Palfrey’s mother’s home in Tarpon Springs. A suicide note was found at the scene but police did not reveal the details.
The Pinellas County Medical Examiner’s Office, working with the Tarpon Springs police, have yet to determine the cause of death, police said. The county sheriff’s office and the FBI are participating in the investigation.
A jury in mid-April found Palfrey guilty of money-laundering, racketeering and mail fraud in association with running a prostitution ring.
Among her high-profile clients was Louisiana Senator David Vitter, a Republican, whose name came up in the phone records of her business, Pamela Martin & Associates.
Another of Palfrey’s clients, State Department official, Randall Tobias, resigned from his post in May 2007 after admitting he’d patronised her business.
© 2008 GayWired.com, All Rights Reserved.
