D.C. Madam Commits Suicide
Convicted earlier this month in a case concerning her operation of a Washington, D.C., prostitution ring that catered to nation’s political elite, Deborah Jeane Palfrey, the woman known as the D.C. Madam has reportedly committed suicide.
The body of a woman believed to be Palfrey, 52, was found by her 76-year-old mother today in a shed near her mother’s home in Tarpon Springs, Fla., on the Gulf Coast about 30 miles northeast of Tampa, according to the Associated Press and Bloomberg. A suicide note was found, and reporting by both AP and Bloomberg indicates that Palfrey apparently hanged herself in the shed.
Found guilty April 15 by a federal jury of money laundering, using the mail for illegal purposes and racketeering, Palfrey reportedly faced a sentence of as much as 55 years in prison at her scheduled sentencing on July 24. Sentencing guidelines, however, called for much less time: between 57 and 71 months.
“This is a tragic news and my heart goes out to her mother,” Preston Burton, a defense attorney for Palfrey, tells AP.
Additional coverage:
ABC News: “D.C. Madam Found Dead of Apparent Suicide”
Time: “Suicide Before Prison”
