Feds Seek To Gag D.C. Madam from exposing her client list

[Herman Munster]

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/0307071palfrey1.html

MARCH 7--Federal prosecutors want to gag an indicted former Washington, D.C. madam who has recently threatened to go public with details about her former customers. In a motion filed Monday in U.S. District Court, investigators are seeking a protective order covering discovery material to be provided to Deborah Palfrey and her lawyers. Palfrey, 50, was indicted last week on racketeering and money laundering charges stemming from her operation of the Pamela Martin & Associates escort service, which closed last summer after 13 years in business.

In their motion, a copy of which you'll find below, government lawyers claim that some discovery documents contain "personal information" about Palfrey's former johns and prostitutes that is "sensitive." The prosecution filing does not detail the nature of this confidential information, though the identity of Palfrey's D.C. customers would surely be cloaked if the protective order was signed by Judge Gladys Kessler. According to the prosecution motion, while Palfrey and her lawyers would be able to use the discovery material to help prepare a defense, they would not be allowed to disclose the documents to anyone else (nor use the material for any other purposes).

Palfrey, whose assets were frozen late last year, has recently floated the idea of selling her escort business's phone records. She has also "made statements that could be considered veiled threats to cause embarrassment to former customers and employees," according to the motion. In connection with an asset forfeiture action, Palfrey has sought to depose political consultant Dick Morris, who she has identified as a former escort service client. While no clients are identified in Palfrey's five-count indictment, the charging document indicates that 14 former associates testified before the grand jury that indicted her.

Palfrey was previously convicted of operating a prostitution business in California and spent 18 months in prison (where the above mug shot was snapped). Before closing her business, Palfrey operated a web site touting Pamela Martin & Associates as "the best adult agency around," claiming that it had an "ongoing repeat clientele rate of 65-75%." Palfrey's site also advertised for escorts. Prospective hookers, she noted, had to be at least 23 years old with two or more years of college. And her $275-an-appointment employees had to be "weight proportionate to height." (5 pages)

[MadMaddie]

1. Well....gotta feeling that many of these clients consists of some

well known names...perhaps even some family values kind of folks. Oh well maybe it's time for these people to get what the average American gets...no protection from the law just because they are well off.

[originalpckelly]

11. I think Duke Cunningham and his poker parties with prostitutes at the Watergate hotel are involved.

[ninkasi]

2. So...

It's illegal for her to offer the services, but the men who USE those services need to be protected. Doesn't sound right to me.

[opihimoimoi]

3. LOL, there might be a few PUB Women Clients on the list too...just surmising.

The whole thing smells of a coverup...

[ninkasi]

14. Yep, nothing they do surprises me

I have never understood people who think of sex as evil. To me, it has always seemed like a gift from God, to help us get through the burdens that life can bring. The reason the Pubs fear it so much, is because they are suppressing their natural feelings. Poor things...I could pity them, if their repressed emotions were not imposed on the rest of us.

I believe in celebrating life, love, friendship, and the true and deep feelings that come from caring about each other. For them, poor things, if it doesn't make them rich, it's not important. Oh, Opi, I'm so ready for a luau...I don't know if Mrs. Opi posts here, but I'll bet I'd like her!

[opihimoimoi]

15. You would like Mrs Opi....she is a combo of Am Indian/German/English

She and I were screaming with laughter when Countdown showed Ann Coulter posing with a Marine at the Cpac Conf...Rod Majors had won an Award.....he was photographedc with a bunch of Pubs....oops...thats his porn name...i forgot his real name..but its here on the DU somewhere....Ya gotta see the pics its a hoot.

Turns out he was a gay porn star a few years ago....what a laugh and a total embarrassment for the GOP

The Pubs seem to be reacting to suppressive religious disorder of some kind....just look at them...frustrated and sexually confused....

[jannyk]

4. To quote the Duke of Wellington "Publish and Be Damned" n/t

[CoffeeCat]

5. On what grounds...

...could the Feds have to muzzle this woman?

They have no right to tell this woman what she can and can't say.

Doesn't this woman have First Amendment rights?

The evening news is filled with "sensitive" information. Since
when is that cause for forcing someone to shut up? Given that line
of thinking--we should allow every pedophile, serial killer and rapist
remain to be anonymous. After all, the revelation of those crimes would indeed
be embarrassing to the person. Right?

Probably what this is---is BushCo losing their leverage. They're probably
blackmailing many people. Rove probably figures that if some of their silenced
accomplices are outed by this woman--that they'll no longer have the leverage
to keep people silent.

[Erika]

6. Dick Morris, Faux Noise consultant, a client

Yes, this list needs to be made public.

[htuttle]

7. You've got to be fucking kidding me!

Let me guess: It's due to National Security reasons, right?

:eyes:

[DemBones DemBones]

8. Exposing Dick Morris is nothing new; he was exposed during

the Clinton administration. He was with a prostitute in a hotel and toe sucking was involved. I'm guessing there was more going on than toe sucking but the media liked that tidbit.

[woodsprite]

9. In some cities, don't they publish the names and photos of

johns? If that's the case, sounds fine by me that she goes and spills her clients secrets. Let's include some photos and copies of cancelled checks or Visa/MC transactions too - just for actual physical proof.

[Raksha]

10. I'm leaning towards the "Publish and be damned!" attitude

because I'm fed up with blackmail, no matter who is doing it. Between this woman and the illegal FISA phone taps and the warrantless wiretapping, I wouldn't be surprised if 80% of the Congress (both Democrats and Republicans) and the executive branch are being blackmailed. How the hell can we have a representative government under those circumstances?

[Tsiyu]

12. I have felt this way since 2000

And members of the media are also being blackmailed, I believe. That's the only explanation for so many people in DC and in the media cowing to an idiot like Chimpy Bunnypants.

[knight_of_the_star]

13. I wonder why they want that

Could be that some of the investigators might somehow be on that list. Talk about a lot of blackmail, I'd love to see her client list.