Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Florida madam to face fines, house arrest

BOCA RATON, Fla. (UPI) -- The alleged Florida madam of a celebrity Internet call girl service is likely to face fines and house arrest under a plea deal, sources say.

Without naming sources, the Palm Beach (Fla.) Post reported Monday that Michelle Braun, 31, of Boca Raton, will strike a deal with prosecutors under which she'd draw probation, house arrest, a $30,000 fine and a promise to cooperate with FBI and Internal Revenue Service investigators.

The newspaper said Braun used two Web sites to advertise the availability of well-known pornography stars and Playboy Magazine centerfold models for introductions to wealthy men willing to pay up to $50,000 for "an evening of undiluted pleasure." Authorities say Braun raked in at least $8.5 million from the businesses.

Braun's attorney, Marc Nurik of Fort Lauderdale, said she is not a madam but a matchmaker, saying men responding to the Web sites weren't paying for sex but a chance to meet well-known centerfold models and porn stars who were looking for wealthy men.

The Internet, he told the Post, is allowing such women to meet admirers from all over the world and Braun, he said, is "just representative of a new wave of the industry."

Copyright 2009 by United Press International

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