- Nevada's famous pimp expected to win election despite death
"stunts that included helping several women "auction" their virginity...multiple allegations of sexual assault against him...If Hof wins on Nov. 6, county officials will nominate another Republican to fill the vacancy"
- After delays, trial set for November in Casa Isla abuse case
"eight staff members at a Department of Youth Services facility were arrested for allegedly beating adolescent boys who were detained there....where boys were allegedly beaten, sexually assaulted and given alcohol and pornography "
Nevada's famous pimp expected to win election despite death
The Associated Press MICHELLE L. PRICE Oct 17th 2018
The Associated Press MICHELLE L. PRICE Oct 17th 2018
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nevada's most famous pimp tried to bring the state's legal brothel industry into the mainstream by mingling with celebrities, showcasing his business on HBO and staging outlandish publicity stunts.
Dennis Hof's fame made him an attention-grabbing figure in an otherwise quiet industry. And, despite being found dead on Tuesday, he's poised to win an election to the state Legislature in less than three weeks.
Hof, who starred in the HBO reality series "Cathouse," marketed himself as a Donald Trump-style Republican in his race for a heavily GOP Assembly district that includes wide stretches of desert where nuclear bombs were once tested.
His body was found at his Love Ranch brothel outside Las Vegas following a weekend of parties celebrating his 72nd birthday. Guests included porn actor Ron Jeremy, "Hollywood Madam" Heidi Fleiss, former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio and a mix of local politicians and friends....
While waging a no-holds-barred campaign, Hof's incendiary style drew fans and well-known supporters such as Trump adviser Roger Stone and Arpaio. But it also brought scrutiny to Hof's businesses and alienated him from the state's GOP establishment.
Nevada is the only state to allow legal prostitution, which occurs at about 20 licensed brothels in mostly rural areas.
Most brothel owners keep a low profile, offering few interviews and buying only subtle advertising. But Hof had a penchant for splashy billboards and stunts that included helping several women "auction" their virginity....
If Hof wins on Nov. 6, county officials will nominate another Republican to fill the vacancy....
Billing himself as "the Trump of Pahrump," Hof wrote a memoir in 2015 titled "The Art of the Pimp," akin to Trump's book "The Art of the Deal." After winning the primary, he credited the president with paving the way by proving a candidate could upend establishment politics and win.
Trump "was the Christopher Columbus for me," Hof told The Associated Press. "He found the way and I jumped on it."
Hof, who was born in Phoenix in 1946, owned several gas stations and other small businesses before moving to Nevada in the 1970s.
He had two daughters, who are both adults and were estranged from him for years, Muth said. Hof also had an ex-wife, but Muth did not know her whereabouts or details about her.
In 1992, Hof bought his first brothel and eventually grew his empire to six, including an Area 51-themed brothel. He began selling some of the properties this year as he faced regulatory problems in southern Nevada and a push to outlaw licensed bordellos in the two counties where he operated.
Hof said he was downsizing to focus on politics, which he called "a dirty business." He said the anti-brothel push, the regulatory problems and multiple allegations of sexual assault against him were politically motivated.
Three of the allegations from prostitutes never resulted in charges. Few details have been released about a fourth allegation that the Nevada Department of Public Safety was investigating. It was made in September by a woman who reported at a hospital that Hof had raped her.
Hof denied all of the accusations....
After delays, trial set for November in Casa Isla abuse case
By Shira Schoenberg
BOSTON -- More than three years ago, eight staff members at a Department of Youth Services facility were arrested for allegedly beating adolescent boys who were detained there.
By Shira Schoenberg
BOSTON -- More than three years ago, eight staff members at a Department of Youth Services facility were arrested for allegedly beating adolescent boys who were detained there.
The criminal case is expected to go to trial in Suffolk Superior Court in November.
Attorneys involved in the case say the delays were mostly a matter of logistics, a huge amount of evidence and dealing with motions. The trial is expected to shed light on the environment at the Casa Isla detention facility in Boston, where boys were allegedly beaten, sexually assaulted and given alcohol and pornography, according to court documents.
"The defendants, staff members who were responsible for taking care of and protecting the residents in their care, instilled a culture of fear at the Casa Isla program in order to make the residents comply with the program's rules and not cause more work for the defendants," wrote Assistant District Attorney Sarah Stancato McEvoy in a filing asking for permission to introduce evidence not tied directly to specific assault allegations.
Victims of the abuse and their family members have separately filed three lawsuits against the state; Volunteers of America of Massachusetts, which had a state contract to run Casa Isla; and individual staff members.
Casa Isla was a youth detention facility for boys committed by the courts to the custody of the state Department of Youth Services. It housed approximately 100 adolescent boys each year until it was closed in 2014 amid an investigation into the alleged abuse....
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