Deborah Jeane Palfrey, charged with running a prostitution ring in the D.C. area, has mounted an unconventional defense in the last 17 months, while aggressively denying allegations that her business was anything but a high-class escort service. And now the D.C. Madam is scheduled for trial on April 7th, she said today.
“Without doubt, I am in the fight of my life,” Palfrey said in statement. “Unfortunately, the Government will not capitulate, nor will I in this extremely bizarre case.”
A quick recap of the bizarre: She’s moved to have the prosecutors and the judge thrown from her case; outed a U.S. senator and a State Department official who availed themselves of her services; sought subpoenas for Congressional leadership and reporters; fired her first two court-appointed attorney, in favor of her long-time civil attorney, Montgomery Blair Sibley (who has been known to wear a kilt to court); and then fired Sibley last month. (For a comprehensive catch-up, click here, here, here, and here.)
Palfrey is now back with her second court-appointed attorney, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe’s Preston Burton, as of Tuesday. She’s also on her second jurist, U.S. District Judge James Robertson. Senior U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler removed herself from the case last December for reasons unknown.
From the looks of it, there’s a lot to look forward to at trial. “I intend to defend myself vigorously against the charges of racketeering, money laundering and conspiracy. I will call witnesses to testify on my behalf about the legal, sexual nature of my former business Pamela Martin & Associates. These witnesses likely will be culled from the existing research conducted over the past 8 months by a variety of press/media, bloggers and interested third parties,” Palfrey said.
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