Article from Sun Herald, August 1997

Note: I originally stated that Judge Kurt Englehardt oversaw the Canal Street Madame case, it was Judge Ivan Lemelle. I have since corrected that mistake.

In 2003, Jeanette Maier was indicted by federal prosecutors along with eleven other women for operating a brothel on Canal Street here in New Orleans. The story made national news and although Maier produced a list of clients not a single man was indicted for their solicitation of the brothel's employees. In fact, Jeanette's notorious client list was sealed by Federal Judge Ivan Lemelle.While the client list remains sealed, Jeanette has since spoken about some of her more prestigious clients including now candidate for Lt. Governor, Billy Nungesser, and candidate for Governor, Sen. David Vitter.Maier suggested multiple times that Vitter was a "client" but it was unclear if he actually visited the Canal Street Brothel since she also admitted his name was not on her client list. I've always wanted to clarify what she meant by these admissions and I got the opportunity to interview her on camera this week.The first question I asked, "Exactly how did you service David Vitter?": Jeanatte on St Charles party from Jason Berry on Vimeo Jeanette mentioned Michelle, one of the escorts who allegedly had sex with David Vitter at the house party on St. Charles Avenue. Michelle supposedly committed suicide on a boat that was docked in Biloxi, Mississippi.The woman's full name was Michelle Mosgrove, she was 28 when she died.Her death took place on August 7, 1997.The suicide occurred on a boat owned by a man (now deceased) named William Andre Droulia . The tragedy occurred in a boat slip (the boat was docked) at Point Cadet Marina in Biloxi, Mississippi. The investigation was handled by the Biloxi Police Department:The public records request for the police report only produced the front page of the report and the name of the boat owner was redacted. However, I have established Droulia was the owner of "AERA" through a former captain of the 74' Willard vessel...Captain Ron Canatlano piloted the boat in the early nineties previous to the 1997 suicide event. Note that the police report says there are four successive "narrative" pages...these pages weren't provided in the public records request.I've spoken with several people who knew Michelle (they wish to remain unnamed in this story) and worked in the "industry". All were skeptical of the suicide claim including Wendy Ellis and Jeanette, who elaborates on the matter in this byte: Jeanette on Michell Musgrove 1 from Jason Berry on Vimeo Jeanette mentioned that there were three women at the party on St. Charles Street, which Maier says occured in 1996, one year before Michelle's suicide. Jeanette said two of the women had sexual interaction with David Vitter...one being Michelle and she declined to identify the second. The third woman was named "Zoey".I have tried desperately, for months, to identify Zoey (stage name) by her real name and confirm the story with her as a firsthand source. I've been unsuccessful in that quest but I believe her real first name may have been Casey and she spent a lot of time around Bourbon Street in the mid-90's. One source thought she may have moved to California...regardless I have not been able to establish her last name.After researching this story for the past five years, I've come to realize just how dangerous this lifestyle is for these women. Jeannette told me of being raped and manipulated by police officers early in her life and in this byte she points out how prostitutes are immediately dismissed as credible sources: Jeanette on Michelle and discrediting prostitutes from Jason Berry on Vimeo I asked her about the double standard that occurs when "politricking" scandals break: Jeanette on politricking from Jason Berry on Vimeo Perhaps this prosecution of women vis-a-vis the protection of "johns" speaks to an underlying misogyny in our national culture or perhaps it's a localized phenomenon in Louisiana politics but the trend seems to be repeated every time a sex scandal comes to light in our state.I would ask you to please listen to what Jeanette has said in this final byte and consider the price these women, like Michelle, have paid for being involved with powerful political figures.Ashe'