It's being described as Hollywood's most exclusive prostitution ring, a $50,000-a-night call girl service providing Playboy Playmates and porn stars to actors, athletes and moguls. And it was operated by a 31-year-old mother of two originally from Bakersfield.
Michelle Braun grew up in Bakersfield and attended West High School, but now divides her time between Los Angeles and Boca Raton, Fla.
She briefly operated a store called Catwalk California in the Valley Plaza mall. She was cited in 1996 for drinking in public, but was acquitted by a Bakersfield jury.
The new case against Braun is just about over, but the repercussions may be just beginning: She has turned her list of customers over to federal authorities, and tabloids say it contains well-known names.
''Let's just say you'd be shocked,'' her attorney told KTLA-TV in Los Angeles. Braun's customers ''ranged from captains of industry, Hollywood types, sports figures and even people more influential.''
Braun has agreed to plead guilty to money laundering charges. In exchange for her cooperation, she'll be guaranteed a punishment of no more than six months house arrest and five years probation. She'll pay a $30,000 fine and agree to cooperate with the Internal Revenue Service and FBI, according to the Orange County Register.
Court documents say Braun's customers paid $1,500 to join the service, then as much as $50,000 for a night with a glamorous prostitute, according to the Register.
She's accused of operating a service that employed 71 women and generated more than $8.5 million that was laundered through a fake travel agency, the Register said. Her arrest came after an 18-month investigation by the FBI.
Her lawyer, Marc Nurik, said it is wrong to think of Braun merely as a pimp. ''She's devoted to her kids, and wants to move on with her life,'' he told KTLA.
