Work in Prostitution and Criminal Charges
At the age of 22, Fleiss began managing a prostitution ring under Madam Alex after meeting the famous Madam 90210 in 1987 via film director boyfriend Ivan Nagy. Fleiss stated in 2002 in an interview with Larry King that her relationship with Alex was "a very intense relationship" and that she "was kind of like the daughter she loved and hated, so she was abusive and loving at the same time." In the same interview, Fleiss said she was a prostitute for a short period.
By 1990, Fleiss parted with Alex and began to run her own prostitution ring. Fleiss has stated that she made her first "million after only four months in the business" as a madam, and that on her slowest night she made $10,000. By 1991 and 1992, she was so successful that she began rejecting girls to work for her. In June 1993, she was arrested for multiple charges, including attempted pandering.
Federal charges were filed in 1994, and Fleiss posted $1,000,000 bail. The state trial began the same year and Fleiss was convicted. In May 1996, her state conviction was overturned, and her appeal bond was set at $200,000. Fleiss was convicted of federal charges of tax evasion in September 1996 and sentenced to 7 years in prison. Fleiss served 20 months at the Federal Correctional Institution, Dublin in California. She was released to a halfway house on November 19, 1998 and ordered to perform 370 hours of community service. Fleiss was released from the halfway house in September 1999.
Fleiss' ring reportedly had numerous famous and wealthy clients. When questioned by British TV presenter Davina McCall about revealing the names of her clients, she replied; "It's not my style".
Read more about this topic: Heidi Fleiss
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