DC Madam can't sell phone records

To paraphrase the old blues song, she's got what it takes and she knows how to give it away.... A federal judge ordered alleged DC Madam, Deborah Jeane Palfrey, not to sell her phone records as she had threatened to do, in order raise money for her defense fund. That's okay with the defense. Her attorney indicates they have already given a copy of her list of 15,000 clients to an unnamed news organization for free. Wise move for safety insurance I would say. It will certainly give pause to anyone thinking she should be shut up before she implicates them.

But it's unfortunate for Ms. Palfrey that the judge shut down her sales scheme. It appears they was a ready market for the list.

[Her attorney] Sibley has said there were a dozen serious bidders for the 40 pounds of phone records. The bidders ranged from "checkbook journalists to the gold standard of American journalism," Sibley said. Attorneys for people who fear their names will become public have also been after the records, he said.

I expect it would have been worth millions to the right people. But she's still likely to make some money on this down the line. There's always the book rights.