Subscribe to Human Interest UpdatesState Department Official Linked to Washington Madam Resigns
April 30, 2007 01:42 PM
by
findingDulcinea Staff
The head of U.S. foreign aid programs steps down; more high-profile revelations are expected to follow as reputed “DC madam” Deborah Jeane Palfrey releases client list to the press.
30 Second Summary
The State Department announced that Deputy Secretary of State and head of USAID Tobias Randall was “returning to private life for personal reasons.”
News of his resignation came a day after Randall admitted to ABC News reporters that he had used the escort service of Deborah Jeane Palfrey. Palfrey is charged with running a Washington, D.C., prostitution business. She had named Randall as a client.
Randall’s claim that he procured nothing more than a massage is consistent with Palfrey’s defense. She insists that her agency offered only “legal sexual and erotic services,” such as massages and naked dancing.
On April 30, Palfrey handed her client list over to ABC News. She said that, because she has insufficient funds to defend herself, she had to rely on journalists to find witnesses who could testify to the legality of her operation.
The media disclosure of Palfrey's client list may lead to more high-profile resignations. She claims that among the still unidentified clients are an economist in the Bush administration, the head of a conservative think tank, and several senior military officials.
News of his resignation came a day after Randall admitted to ABC News reporters that he had used the escort service of Deborah Jeane Palfrey. Palfrey is charged with running a Washington, D.C., prostitution business. She had named Randall as a client.
Randall’s claim that he procured nothing more than a massage is consistent with Palfrey’s defense. She insists that her agency offered only “legal sexual and erotic services,” such as massages and naked dancing.
On April 30, Palfrey handed her client list over to ABC News. She said that, because she has insufficient funds to defend herself, she had to rely on journalists to find witnesses who could testify to the legality of her operation.
The media disclosure of Palfrey's client list may lead to more high-profile resignations. She claims that among the still unidentified clients are an economist in the Bush administration, the head of a conservative think tank, and several senior military officials.
Headline
Palfrey’s business ran from 1993 to 2006, employed a pool of around 130 mostly college-educated escorts, and catered to 15,000 customers over the years.
Source: The International Herald Tribune
In a press conference on April 30, Ms. Palfrey stated that she had handed over her list of clients to ABC News. She said that she did so “without compensation or guarantees of any sort.”
Source: YouTube
Two weeks ago, Ms. Palfrey said that the military strategist Harlan K. Ullman, theorist of “shock and awe” combat, was a client of hers. Ullman described the accusation as “beneath the dignity of comment.” ABC News provides a slide show history of the Palfrey case.
Source: ABC News
Key Players
The State Department press release describes Randall as “returning to private life for personal reasons.”
Source: The U.S. State Department
Born in 1956, Deborah Jeane Palfrey has, according to the Notable Name Database, already served 18 months for prostitution charges, having been convicted in 1992.
Source: Notable Name Database
Deborah Jeane Palfrey’s “Legal Defense Fund” Web site describes the federal seizure of her assets as “legal theft” that leaves her with no option but to liquidate her sole remaining asset: her client list.
Source: Ms. Palfrey's Legal Defense Fund
Top defense attorney Preston Burton stepped in to defend Palfrey on May 7. Burton has worked for high-profile clients, such as Monica Lewinsky and the troubled heads of Enron. He is the second public defender the judge has assigned to this case, as Palfrey fired Burton's predecessor.
Source: Slate.com
Reference Material
USAID describes itself as having a twofold mission: to provide U.S. foreign assistance to further American interests abroad and to improve the lives of the citizens of the developing world.
Source: USAID
A court filing by federal prosecutors in December 2006 purported to give an insight into the workings of Ms. Palfrey’s agency. Among documents seized by Internal Revenue Service agents were newsletters offering tips on dealing with undercover agents and how to manage unruly clients.
Source: The Washington Post
As well as giving her client list to the press, Palfrey has also leaked her phone records to various blogs, such as this one.
Source: Big Head DC
Opinion
As director of foreign assistance and administrator of the Agency for International Development (USAID), Randall stressed the importance of abstinence in combating HIV and required recipient countries to crack down on prostitution. Online journal Slate opines that Randall’s involvement with Palfrey shows him to be a hypocrite.
Source: Slate.com
Related Links
The trial of notorious Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss made headlines in the 1990s. She reputedly possessed a “black book” listing famous clients who used her service. The black book never surfaced, and she was convicted in 1997 of conspiracy, tax evasion, money laundering, and attempted pandering.
Source: Crime Library
According to a U.S. poll, the findings of which were published in 2004, 15 percent of men have paid for sex.
Source: ABC News
Sydney Biddle Barrows, AKA “the Mayflower Madam,” ran an upscale escort service in New York called Catchet, until the law caught up with her in 1984. A Mayflower descendant, Ms. Barrows reputedly took great care of her employees and prided herself on running a professional operation. She became the subject of a biopic starring Candice Bergen and went on to become an author.
Source: The Mayflower Madam
© 2010 Dulcinea Media, Inc.
