DC Madam

Most know her as the feisty DC Madam who riled up the media by releasing her clients' phone records, but a half-finished memoir obtained by Newsweek reveals Deborah Jeane Palfrey's personal side. A small-town girl turned "fuddy-duddy white lady," she overcame a stifling childhood to turn feminist entrepreneur.     More »

Unable to bear the prospect of prison time, the so-called DC Madam hanged herself, officials in Florida said today. Deborah Jeane Palfrey, whose body was found Thursday, left behind suicide notes in which she referred to "this 'modern day lynching'" and said she saw "no way out i.e. 'exit strategy' for me other than the one I have chosen," the Tampa Tribune reports. More »

The so-called “DC Madam” hanged herself in Florida, police said today, committing suicide two weeks after her conviction for money laundering and racketeering. Officials say her mother found Deborah Jeane Palfrey, 52, hanging in a storage shed this morning, along with suicide notes whose details they did not divulge. Police said Blanche Palfrey had no indication her daughter was contemplating suicide. More »

Rejecting the defense that she didn't know her escorts were having sex with clients, a federal jury convicted the "DC Madam," who, WTOP–FM reports, met today's verdict with a sigh. Deborah Jeane Palfrey, whose prostitution-ring bust implicated Washington highbrows, including a Louisiana senator, faces up to 55 years on racketeering and money-laundering charges at her sentencing in July. More »

Sen. Larry Craig's bathroom toe tap is only the latest in a seemingly endless string of scandal that has Republicans at wit's end, the NY Times reports. Such episodes are fueling voter suspicion of a party already tied to an unpopular president and the Iraq war. "We are approaching a level of ridiculousness," fumes one GOP activist. More »

You thought you were safe by confining your philandering to professionals, but now the cat's out of the bag. Portfolio offers tips for controlling the damage: Tell your spouse If you know you'll be ratted out, fess up first Go directly to the press Act quickly, then move on More »

Taking a page out of the Jason Giambi playbook, Louisiana Senator David Vitter yesterday held a press conference to apologize for "actions from my past" but categorically refused to specify what, exactly, he'd done wrong. Vitter spent a week in seclusion after his number showed up in the D.C. Madam's phone records, and an infamous brothel in New Orleans cited him as a customer, too. More »

Direct from the phone records of the so-called DC Madam, Deborah Palfrey, here are the most-dialed local lodgings—or what the Consumerist calls the "Top 10 Most 'Ho-Friendly' DC Hotels." Marriott: 489 (18 numbers) Hyatt: 168 (6 numbers) Hilton: 151 (5 numbers) Holiday Inn: 132 (5 numbers) Ritz-Carlton: 118 (4 numbers) More »

A White House economist, the head of a conservative think tank, lobbyists, military brass and a prominent CEO—they’re among pay-to-play clients DC Madam Deborah Jeane Palfrey says she'll finger, ABC and the Post report. Palfrey said at a press conference yesterday she’s “genuinely sorry" if her clients are hurt by being identified. More »

A deputy secretary of state resigned late yesterday afternoon, one day after an as-yet-unaired interview with ABC News tied him to the alleged "D.C. Madam." Randall Tobias, who ran the country's foreign aid program, says he received massages, not sex, from Deborah Jean Palfrey's high-end escort service, and resigned for "personal reasons." More »