Fleiss, Heidi - Settles Into Humdrum of Prison ...

Heidi Fleiss Settles Into Humdrum of Prison Life / Ex-madam serving time in Dublin

Catherine Bowman, Chronicle East Bay Bureau

Saturday, February 22, 1997

The glittering parties are a thing of the past for former Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss, who now has to be at work at 7:30 a.m. and home by 10 p.m.

As of last week, Fleiss has taken up residence at the Federal Prison Camp in Dublin, where she is serving a 37-month sentence for laundering call-girl profits, income tax evasion, and conspiring to hide her crimes.

The 30-year-old Fleiss is sleeping in far simpler quarters than her old Beverly Hills digs. Eventually, she will be moved from the dormitory where she now sleeps to a four-person room with bunk beds.

Assuming that she receives a medical clearance, Fleiss also will be put to work. Among the jobs available: landscaper, food server and mechanical worker.

"We're treating her like we would treat any other inmate," said Patti Protz, camp administrator. "It's really been very low-key."

The workday begins after breakfast, at 7:30 a.m., and ends at 3:45 p.m. Inmates wear blue prison uniforms and work boots, although they may purchase tennis shoes if they wish.

Protz did not know what kind of job Fleiss will have or how she has spent her free time since arriving February 13 at the minimum security facility. Needlework is one of the most popular pastimes among the 230 female inmates, but the camp also offers Spanish, dance and parenting classes, along with other programs. In the summer, there are softball games.

"After they're done with their workday, whatever they choose to do is up to them," Protz said.

During Fleiss' trial, prosecutors alleged she laundered at least $300,000 in income from her call-girl business through her family's bank accounts and a $1.6 million home that actor Michael Douglas once owned. She was sentenced by a federal judge last month.

Fleiss is not the only famous inmate to do time at the federal prison facilities in Dublin.

Former Los Angeles police officers Laurence Powell and Stacey Koon served 30-month sentences there in connection with the 1991 beating of motorist Rodney King, and junk bond dealer Michael Milken served two years in the early 1990s for securities fraud.

http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Heidi-Fleiss-Settles-Into-Humdrum-of-Prison-Life-2854062.php