New Orleans ex-madam: La. senator a client

updated 7:22 p.m. ET July 10, 2007

NEW ORLEANS - Sen. David Vitter, who publicly apologized after being linked to an alleged prostitution ring in Washington, was once a client of a high-priced New Orleans brothel, a former madam told a New Orleans television station Tuesday.

Jeanette Maier, who pleaded guilty to running the Canal Street brothel in 2002, made the allegation in an interview with WDSU-TV.

"He seemed to be one of the nicest men and most honorable men I've ever met," Maier said in the taped interview.

Maier said that Vitter visited the brothel several times for several years in the mid-1990s. Maier's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for an interview by The Associated Press.

Federal prosecutors unveiled the existence of the $300-an-hour brothel in April 2002. It was linked to similar operations in other U.S. cities. Maier was among 17 defendants who pleaded guilty in the investigation. With all the guilty pleas, there was never a trial, and that kept under wraps a list of customers that reportedly included prominent attorneys, doctors and business professionals.

Vitter's office did not respond to a call for comment on the latest allegation.

'A very serious sin in my past'
He had declined interview requests throughout the day Tuesday, and he made no public appearances in the Capitol. The night before, he'd made a startling confession in an e-mail to The Associated Press:

"This was a very serious sin in my past for which I am, of course, completely responsible. Several years ago, I asked for and received forgiveness from God and my wife in confession and marriage counseling."

Out of respect for my family, I will keep my discussion of the matter there _ with God and them. But I certainly offer my deep and sincere apologies to all I have disappointed and let down in any way."

The statement containing Vitter's apology said his telephone number was on old phone records of Pamela Martin and Associates before he ran for the Senate.

Deborah Jeane Palfrey was accused in federal court of racketeering by running a prostitution ring that netted more than $2 million over 13 years, beginning in 1993. She contends, however, that her escort service, Pamela Martin and Associates, was a legitimate business.

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Vitter, 46, a Republican in his first Senate term, was elected to the Senate in 2004. He represented Louisiana's 1st Congressional District in the House of Representatives from 1999 to 2004.

Vitter and his wife, Wendy, live in Metairie, Louisiana, with their four children.

Vitter, a first-term Republican who previously served in the House, recently played a prominent role in derailing an immigration bill backed by President Bush. He also is a key supporter of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani's presidential bid, serving as regional campaign chairman for the South.

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