April 14, 2008 – Updated 10:10 a.m.
The trial of a woman accused of running an upscale prostitution ring in the Washington area was wrapping up Monday without testimony by Sen.
The government rested its case Monday, the fifth day of the trial, as did Preston Burton, who represents alleged “D.C. madam” Deborah Palfrey. The defense rested without calling any witnesses.
Judge James Robertson delivered instructions to the jury, and the prosecution and defense made their closing arguments. The jury will decide the case based on evidence presented by the prosecution only.
Palfrey, former head of the Pamela Martin and Associates escort service, is facing money laundering and racketeering charges. She has said she was running “a legal, high-end erotic fantasy service,” and her lawyer argued that the government had failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Palfrey knew the women who worked for her were charging clients for sex.
About a dozen former escorts and three former clients of Palfrey’s service testified during the trial.
“What was done in those rooms was their decision and their decision alone,” Burton said of the women, adding later,”No one was told what to do in those rooms.”
But prosecutors argued that it was unreasonable to believe that Palfrey did not know that her employees engaged in illegal behavior with their clients and that, in fact, Palfrey, both directly and indirectly, encouraged her escorts to provide sex for money.
“Men do not pay $250 for 90 minutes for casual conversation,” said U.S. Attorney Daniel Butler.
In July, Vitter acknowledged that his number appears in the escort service’s phone records and indicated that he had contacted Pamela Martin and Associates prior to his 2004 Senate run.
Vitter, who served in the House from 1999 to 2005, did not offer details about his interactions with the escort service other than to say he had committed a “serious sin” for which he was “completely responsible.” Vitter said he had asked God and his wife for forgiveness and had attended marriage counseling.
Palfreyroiled the nation’s capital last year with allegations that prominent government figures appear in her phone records.
In April of 2007, Randall L. Tobias stepped down as director of the U.S. Agency for International Development and a deputy secretary of State after acknowledging to ABC News that he had been a customer of Palfrey’s.
In 2004, Vitter was elected the first Republican senator from Louisiana since Reconstruction. He has a reputation as a strong conservative, including on social issues.
He has voted against same-sex marriage and in favor of abortion restrictions, reflecting what he calls “Louisiana values.”
First posted April 14, 2008 9:40 a.m.