Convicted DC escort 'madam' a suicide
Hanged herself; had faced prison in capital scandal
TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. - A woman convicted two weeks ago of being the "DC Madam" hanged herself yesterday, fulfilling her vow never to go to prison for running a high-end Washington prostitution ring.
The body of Deborah Jeane Palfrey was found in a shed near her mother's home about 20 miles northwest of Tampa. Police said Palfrey, 52, left at least two suicide notes and other writings to her family in a notebook, but they did not disclose the contents.
A federal jury convicted Palfrey on April 15 of running a prostitution service that catered to members of Washington's political elite, including Senator David Vitter, a Louisiana Republican. She was convicted of money laundering, using the mail for illegal purposes, and racketeering.
Palfrey had denied that her escort service engaged in prostitution, saying that if any of the women engaged in sex acts for money, they did so without her knowledge.
The trial concluded without revealing many new details about the service or its clients. Vitter was among possible witnesses but did not take the stand.
Channing Phillips, spokesman for the US attorney's office in the District of Columbia, said that under federal guidelines, Palfrey faced five or six years in prison at sentencing on July 24.
"I sure as heck am not going to be going to federal prison for one day . . . because I'm shy about bringing in the deputy secretary of whatever," Palfrey told ABC last year when she released phone records that revealed some of her clients.
Dan Moldea, a Washington writer who befriended Palfrey, recalled a conversation over dinner last year when the subject of prison came up.
"She said: 'I am not going back to prison. I will commit suicide first,' " Moldea said.
Prosecutors said Palfrey operated the prostitution service for 13 years. 