Police say a woman believed to be 'D.C. madam' has committed suicide
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Police say a woman believed to be 'D.C. madam' has committed suicide
2 hours, 11 minutes ago
By The Associated Press
TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. - A woman believed to be the convicted Washington escort service operator known as the "D.C. Madam" has committed suicide.
Police say the body of woman they believe is Deborah Jeane Palfrey was found Thursday morning in a shed near Palfrey's mother's home in Florida. There was a suicide note, but police did not disclose its contents or how she killed herself.
Palfrey's lawyer, Preston Burton, did not return a telephone call and e-mail message.
Palfrey was convicted April 15 by a federal jury of running a prostitution service that catered to members of Washington's political elite.
She was convicted of money laundering, using the mail for illegal purposes and racketeering and faced a maximum of 55 years in prison. She was free pending sentencing July 24.
Prosecutors said Palfrey operated the prostitution service for 13 years.
She had denied 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.
Her trial concluded without revealing many new details about the service or its clients.
One of the escort service employees was a former University of Maryland professor, Brandy Britton, who was arrested on prostitution charges in 2006. She committed suicide in January before she was scheduled to go to trial.
Last year, Palfrey said she was humiliated by the prostitution charges, but added: "I guess I'm made of something that Brandy Britton wasn't made of."
