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| When the scandal broke, Jason Itzler – who had been convicted in 2005 of ] as the ] and imprisoned 27 months – went on the ] interviews circuit making an assertion that Dupré had worked as an escort with his agency several years previously, which claim remains unsubstantiated.<ref name=Itzler1>{{cite news |first=Sean |last=Evans |authorlink= |coauthors=McShane, Larry |title=She came to N.Y. looking for record deal instead she got hooker ring offer |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2008/03/14/2008-03-14_she_came_to_ny_looking_for_record_deal_i.html |work=] |date=2008-03-14 |accessdate=2008-03-16 }}.</ref><ref name=VoiceBlog>{{cite news |first=Michael |last=Clancy |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Sex and the City: The Wild Life of Ashley Alexandra Dupre |url=http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/archives/2008/03/sex_and_the_cit.php |work=Runnin' Scared |publisher='']'' |date=2008-03-14 |accessdate=2008-03-16 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Mark |last=Jacobson |title=Secrets of the Megapimps |url=http://nymag.com/news/features/45119/ |work=] |date=2008-03-16 |accessdate=2008-03-18}}</ref> | When the scandal broke, Jason Itzler – who had been convicted in 2005 of ] as the ] and imprisoned 27 months – went on the ] interviews circuit making an assertion that Dupré had worked as an escort with his agency several years previously, which claim remains unsubstantiated.<ref name=Itzler1>{{cite news |first=Sean |last=Evans |authorlink= |coauthors=McShane, Larry |title=She came to N.Y. looking for record deal instead she got hooker ring offer |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2008/03/14/2008-03-14_she_came_to_ny_looking_for_record_deal_i.html |work=] |date=2008-03-14 |accessdate=2008-03-16 }}.</ref><ref name=VoiceBlog>{{cite news |first=Michael |last=Clancy |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Sex and the City: The Wild Life of Ashley Alexandra Dupre |url=http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/archives/2008/03/sex_and_the_cit.php |work=Runnin' Scared |publisher='']'' |date=2008-03-14 |accessdate=2008-03-16 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Mark |last=Jacobson |title=Secrets of the Megapimps |url=http://nymag.com/news/features/45119/ |work=] |date=2008-03-16 |accessdate=2008-03-18}}</ref> | ||
| On ], the ] website ] featured video of Dupré shot in ] when Dupré was allegedly 17.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/03/18/dupree.girls.gone.wild.ap/index.html | title=Spitzer escort's 'Girls Gone Wild' videos surface | author=] | publisher=].com | accessdate=2008-03-18}}</ref> Girls Gone Wild founder ] said, "All nude images of Ms. Dupre were taken in public places and contain no sexual contact. In Florida, where Ms. Dupre was filmed, the law allows even women under the age of 18 to be filmed nude with their consent."<ref name=orlando>{{cite news |title=Photos show woman identified as Ashley Dupre at 'Girls Gone Wild' party |url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-ashley-dupre-photos-pictures-spitzer,0,2003460.story?track=rss |work=]|date=2008-03-19 |accessdate=2008-03-21 }}</ref> | On ], the ] website ] featured video of Dupré shot in ] when Dupré was allegedly 17.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/03/18/dupree.girls.gone.wild.ap/index.html | title=Spitzer escort's 'Girls Gone Wild' videos surface | author=] | publisher=].com | accessdate=2008-03-18}}</ref><ref name="tmz">{{cite web |url=http://www.tmz.com/2008/03/19/ashley-dupre-gone-wild-legal-or-jailbait/ |title=Ashley Dupre Gone "Wild" -- Legal or Jailbait? |author=] |date=] |accessdate=2008-03-19 }}</ref> Girls Gone Wild founder ] said, "All nude images of Ms. Dupre were taken in public places and contain no sexual contact. In Florida, where Ms. Dupre was filmed, the law allows even women under the age of 18 to be filmed nude with their consent."<ref name=orlando>{{cite news |title=Photos show woman identified as Ashley Dupre at 'Girls Gone Wild' party |url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-ashley-dupre-photos-pictures-spitzer,0,2003460.story?track=rss |work=]|date=2008-03-19 |accessdate=2008-03-21 }}</ref> | ||
| ====Legal proceedings==== | ====Legal proceedings==== | ||
Revision as of 23:38, 21 March 2008
| Ashley Alexandra Dupré | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ashley Youmans (1985-04-30) April 30, 1985 (age 39) Beachwood, New Jersey |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Ashley DiPietro Amber Arpaio Kristen |
| Occupation(s) | Prostitute and pop–RnB singer-songwriter |
| Known for | Eliot Spitzer sex scandal |
Ashley Rae Maika DiPietro (born Ashley Youmans April 30 1985 better known by the stage name Ashley Alexandra Dupré, or the name she used as a call girl, Kristen) is best known as the woman at the center of the Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal.
Earlier years
Dupré spent her childhood in Beachwood, New Jersey, a blue-collar town near the Jersey Shore. Dupré's father, William Youmans, owned a landscaping business and also worked as a salesman of surfing accessories. When her parents divorced, Dupré moved to Wall, New Jersey with her mother, Carolyn Capalbo, and her mother's new husband, Mike DiPietro, an oral surgeon. She attended Wall High School until her sophomore year, when she moved to Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, to live with her father.
On her MySpace page, Dupré described leaving home at age 17 to escape a broken family and abuse, but her aunt, Barbara Youmans of Seaside Heights, disputed the suggestion that Dupré had a difficult childhood. "She never had a bad life when she was growing up. She had the best of everything: bicycles, clothing, O'Neill surf boards. ... She was always dressed to kill and got everything she wanted."
In 2004, at the age of 19, Dupré moved to New York City in pursuit of a music career, and worked as a waitress at a dance club called Viscaya in the Chelsea district of Manhattan. She also worked at the clubs Pink Elephant and Retox. Acquaintances stated that she had expensive tastes, including Cartier and Louis Vuitton consumer goods and trips to Saint-Tropez, France. The sources also stated that several of her tattoos, in Latin and Arabic, were mantras to help keep her clean—including "What does not destroy me makes me stronger," "Protect your own," and "Never give up." None admitted suspecting that she was a sex worker, believing her statements that the cash for her lifestyle came from her wealthy parents.
In 2006, Dupré changed her legal name from Youmans to her stepfather's name of DiPietro, stating that she regarded him as "the only father I have known." In the same year, according to the New York Post, she answered an ad from the escort agency Emperors Club VIP, and began working for them under the alias Kristen. By 2008, Dupré was living in a ninth-floor apartment in the Flatiron District of Manhattan. According to a telephone interview with The New York Times, she was concerned about her ability to pay her rent after the man she was living with left, following her discovery that he had fathered two children.
Media attention
February 2008 assignation with Spitzer and aftermath
See also: Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal
On February 13 2008, Dupré travelled by Amtrak train from New York's Pennsylvania Station to Washington, D.C., for an assignation at the Mayflower Hotel with New York Governor Eliot Spitzer. The arrangements had been made by phone between Spitzer and a booker at Emperors Club VIP, and were monitored by federal investigators who had initiated a wiretap after his bank had filed a suspicious activity report regarding money transfers by Spitzer to a front company operated by the escort service.
Caught on the FBI's wiretap was Dupré's response to the booker's mention of other escorts' difficulties with Spitzer. "I don't think he's difficult," said Dupré. "I mean it's just kind of like, whatever, I'm here for a purpose. I know what my purpose is. I am not a … moron, you know what I mean."
On March 6, federal authorities arrested four individuals involved with Emperors Club VIP, charging them under federal prostitution and money laundering laws. Initial news reports and court documents did not identify the agency's clients or call girls by name, referring to Spitzer as "Client 9" and to Dupré as "Kristen".
On March 10, Spitzer's identity as "Client 9" was outed by The New York Times. On March 12, the Times identified Dupré as "Kristen" in an article posted on their website. On the day the story broke, she posted a message to her MySpace page that initially said "Yeah, I did it"; it was later changed to read, "Thank you for your support, it means a lot to me."
Dupré became the subject of intense media coverage in the days after her role in the scandal became public. The Village Voice called her "the most famous hooker in America", and the New York Post published an extensive photo shoot showing Dupré in provocative poses. By March 18, Dupré's profile on MySpace had received over 9 million page views. Dupré was reportedly offered US$1 million by Hustler magazine to pose nude, and received offers from Penthouse magazine and Vivid Entertainment.
When the scandal broke, Jason Itzler – who had been convicted in 2005 of procuring prostitution as the owner of a now-shuttered escort service and imprisoned 27 months – went on the soft-news interviews circuit making an assertion that Dupré had worked as an escort with his agency several years previously, which claim remains unsubstantiated.
On March 19, the soft-porn website Girls Gone Wild featured video of Dupré shot in Miami Beach, Florida when Dupré was allegedly 17. Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis said, "All nude images of Ms. Dupre were taken in public places and contain no sexual contact. In Florida, where Ms. Dupre was filmed, the law allows even women under the age of 18 to be filmed nude with their consent."
Legal proceedings
On March 15, Dupré was given immunity by Manhattan federal prosecutors for her role in the Spitzer scandal, in order to testify at court hearings related to the Emperors Club VIP prostitution ring.
Music career
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
Dupré began singing professionally when Jerry Cooper, a musician she was living with, heard her singing the Aretha Franklin version of the song "Respect" in the shower. "She had this huge voice for such a little girl," Cooper told MTV. "And so I just kind of went in and said, 'Hey, come upstairs when you're done with this, and let's work on some songs.'" According to Dupré, she then toured and recorded with Cooper's band, networking with people in the music industry. In 2005 she formed a company named Pasche New York, an entertainment business intended to promote her music career.
In the summer of 2006, she made an appearance in a music video for the song "Pop Off", performed by rapper Mysterious.
Shortly after The New York Times published their profile of Dupré, her single "Move Ya Body" set a record for how fast it commanded the top price on the music-download site AmieStreet.com, reaching the site's maximum of US$0.98 per download in five hours. Another single, "What We Want", was played more than 3 million times on the Internet after the scandal erupted. While some speculated that she may have earned as much as US$300,000 - $1.4 million from download sales of her singles on Amie Street, others estimated her earnings at as low as $13,720. Dupré's music came to be featured in mash up YouTube videos, blending her tracks with those of established artists.
References
- Mendelsohn, Aline (2003-03-19). "From the Sentinel Archive: Anything goes when the cameras roll". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 2008-03-20.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Photos show woman identified as Ashley Dupre at 'Girls Gone Wild' party". Orlando Sentinel. 2008-03-19. Retrieved 2008-03-21.
- ^ Kovaleski, Serge (2008-03-13). "For an Aspiring Singer, a Harsher Spotlight". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-03-16.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - Gaskell, Stephanie (2008-03-13). "Jersey girl is revealed as 'Kristen'". Daily News. Retrieved 2008-03-16.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Fabiano, Giovanna (2008-03-14). "'Kristen' becomes a star, but aunt calls her a 'brat'". The Record. Retrieved 2008-03-16.
- ^ Dupré, Ashley. "Ashley Alexandra Dupré". MySpace. Retrieved 2008-03-16.
- ^ Evans, Sean (2008-03-15). "Friends: 'Kristen' partied with cocaine". Daily News. Retrieved 2008-03-16.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Weiss, Murray (2008-03-14). "OMG! I JUST DID THE GOVERNOR!". New York Post. Retrieved 2008-03-16.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - Feuer, Alan (2008-03-11). "Affidavit: Client 9 and Room 871". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-03-16.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - "Ashley Alexandra Dupré". Times Topics. The New York Times. 2008-03-12. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - Feuer, Alan (2008-03-07). "Four Charged With Running Online Prostitution Ring". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
- United States of America v. Mark Brener, Cecil Suwal, Temeka Rachelle Lewis, and Tanya Hollander (pdf). United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. 2008-03-05. Federal complaint.
- Hakim, Danny (2008-03-10). "Spitzer Is Linked to Prostitution Ring". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Clancy, Michael (2008-03-14). "Sex and the City: The Wild Life of Ashley Alexandra Dupre". Runnin' Scared. The Village Voice. Retrieved 2008-03-16.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - Wee, Gillian (2008-03-18). "Penthouse, Flynt Offer `Kristen' Millions as Spitzer Makes Exit". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2008-03-21.
- Oliver, Rochelle (2008-03-21). "Prostitute makes lemonade from lemons". South Florida Times. Retrieved 2008-03-21.
- "Prostitute In Spitzer Scandal Scores Million Dollar Offer To Bare All". Access Hollywood. 2008-03-14. Retrieved 2008-03-16.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - Evans, Sean (2008-03-14). "She came to N.Y. looking for record deal instead she got hooker ring offer". Daily News. Retrieved 2008-03-16.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help). - Jacobson, Mark (2008-03-16). "Secrets of the Megapimps". New York. Retrieved 2008-03-18.
- Associated Press. "Spitzer escort's 'Girls Gone Wild' videos surface". CNN.com. Retrieved 2008-03-18.
- TMZ.com (2008-03-19). "Ashley Dupre Gone "Wild" -- Legal or Jailbait?". Retrieved 2008-03-19.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - The Associated Press (2008-03-11). "Spitzer may have spent tens of thousands on call girls: investigators". Daily News. Retrieved 2008-03-16.
- ^ Wee, Gillian (2008-03-15). "`Kristen,' Linked to Spitzer, Becomes Pop Star on Web (Update1)". Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 2008-03-16.
- Bardsley, Garth (2008-03-17). "Ashley Alexandra Dupre, Eliot Spitzer's Companion: Check Out Her First Recording Session!: 'She's going to come out on top,' ex-boyfriend predicts". MTV News. Retrieved 2008-03-18.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|work=(help) - "Ashley Alexandra Dupre's Rap Video Appearance". MyFox New York. Fox Broadcasting Company. 2008-03-14. Retrieved 2008-03-16.
- "Call Girl Ashley Plays the Girlfriend in 'Pop Off' Music Video by Rapper Mysterious". Breitbart.tv. Retrieved 2008-03-16.
- Lemire, Jonathan (2008-03-15). "Hooker's an online hit - to tune of $200G". Daily News. Retrieved 2008-03-16.
- Sklar, Rachel (2008-03-14). "Millionaire Call Girl? Spitzer's Hooker Rakes In A Fortune Online From Her Music". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2008-03-16.
- Kafka, Peter (2008-03-17). "Ashley Alexandra Dupre: Not Rich Yet. Will She Ever Be?". Silicon Alley Insider. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
- "ASHLEY DUPRE: THE WEEK AFTER". Music Nation. 2008-03-18. Retrieved 2008-03-20.