Heidi Fleiss, who once lived in a swank $1.6 million mansion, is heading to a new address: state prison.
The Hollywood Madam received the minimum three-year sentence and was fined $1,500 Wednesday for charging jet-setting call-girl clients thousands of dollars per night.With credit for good behavior, Fleiss, 29, could be out in about 18 months. She was released on $200,000 bail pending an appeal of her pandering conviction, which could take about 10 months.
Fleiss' legal troubles are far from over. She faces trial in federal court June 20 for laundering the proceeds from her enterprise - in which clients paid up to $10,000 for sex with stunning women. She also is accused of lying on her income tax returns.
Fleiss showed little emotion when the sentence was read. Her lawyers said she was pleased since she faced a maximum of nearly nine years.
Fleiss' lawyers had argued that the minimum sentence was too harsh and therefore unconstitutional. Attorney Anthony Brooklier said people convicted of manslaughter, child molestation, extortion and kidnapping are eligible for probation, but his client was not.
"Your honor, no one was hurt in this case, no one was coerced and no one operated under duress," Brooklier said.
Superior Court Judge Judith Champagne disagreed. "This was a highly sophisticated and lucrative criminal enterprise," she said. "It cannot be a victimless crime."