Deborah J. Palfrey, 50, of Vallejo, California, was indicted on federal
racketeering charges this week in U.S. District Court in Washington.
Her escort service, Pamela Martin & Associates, was advertised in newspapers,
Web sites and the Yellow Pages.
Federal authorities said the service, which had been operating since 1993,
hired college-educated women to cater to men in hotels and homes in Washington
and its Maryland and Virginia suburbs. In 13 years, the service employed 132
women, all at least 22 years old and who had other jobs, and generated about $2
million in income, they said.
"Ms. Palfrey adamantly disputes the government's claims of illegal behavior,"
according to her legal defense Web site, where she began seeking donations
after the government raided her home in October, seizing more than $400,000
(£á303,882) in cash and stocks, according to court records.
Today in Americas
According to the Web site, "consideration is being given" to selling Palfrey's
phone records dating to 1993. The records include the phone numbers of about
10,000 clients in the Washington area, according to Palfrey's attorney,
Montgomery Blair Sibley.
Palfrey had no comment on the charges, Sibley said.
Palfrey was convicted in 1991 for operating an illegal prostitution business in
California and served 18 months in prison, according to the affidavit.
She is scheduled to make her initial appearance in the criminal case at the
District of Columbia federal courthouse next Friday.
