Former “Hollywood Madam” Heidi Fleiss takes a break from unpacking Wednesday at her rented house in Pahrump to discuss her plans for a bordello catering to women. She hopes to apply for a brothel license in Nye County by the end of the year. Photos by Craig Moran. Heidi Fleiss cleans up the two-bedroom house she is renting in Pahrump. She said she made the “Pimpin’” poster herself out of about $10,000 worth of gemstones while she was under house arrest in California for running a high-priced call girl ring.

PAHRUMP -- She has yet to apply for a brothel license, but former "Hollywood Madam" Heidi Fleiss has moved to Nye County and revealed the identity of the first man picked to work at her Stud Farm for women in nearby Crystal.

His name is Lester James Brandt, and he is an actor and singer with his own line of clothing and television credits that include a regular stint on the soap opera "Another World."

Fleiss said she met Brandt a few weeks ago at a storage center in Hollywood, as she was packing the last of her things for the move to Nevada. She offered the 37-year-old Texas native a job after he helped her load some of her artwork.

"He looks like your good lead-off guy, your lead horse," she said.

Brandt said he and Fleiss have yet to discuss "money issues and moving issues." He said he accepted her initial offer because he sees it as a new opportunity to make a name for himself.

He is "in it to help the people I care about," he said, meaning his extended family.

Brandt is single and has no children, though he has a girlfriend who he said is supportive of his career move.

"This isn't a job I would have applied for," he said by telephone from Southern California. "I would never even consider myself for a job like this."

Still, he is clearly enjoying the attention Fleiss' announcement has brought hi m.

In the past week, Brandt has been interviewed on cable network MSNBC and had his photo in "Newsweek." So many people tried to look him up on the Internet on Monday that it crashed his Web site.

"One day, nothing is happening, the next you're one of the top three stories in the world," he said. "You got to love Hollywood."

In the 1990s, Brandt played Rafael "Rafe" Santiero on "Another World," and later scored small roles in episodes of "NYPD Blue," "Dharma & Greg," "CSI: Miami," and Chuck Norris' "Walker, Texas Ranger."

For his next role, Brandt said he plans to draw on personal experience.

"I've loved women my whole life. It's been a smorgasbord," he said. "I think I'm ready to go pro. I've been in the amateurs for a long time. I guess I'll have to take my game to another level."

Brandt promised to bring sensitivity and flexibility to Fleiss' Stud Farm.

"Some women want to walk hand in hand through the park. Some want you to sing them a song. Some may want me to bite them on the spine. Whatever it is, I will do this," he said.

As for his other, um, qualifications, Brandt said his shoe size is a "nice, comfortable 10."

That was as specific as he would get. "Some things have to be left for mystique," he said.

Fleiss was more forthright. She said that she is considering a flat rate of $250 an hour for her studs and that "anything goes" during that time. The man would keep half the money and any tips he received. The house would get the rest.

At last count, Fleiss said, she had received more than 1,000 e-mail messages from men who want to work at her as-yet-unbuilt brothel. She plans to hire 20 men, with 10 in reserve.

First, though, Fleiss' concept requires approval from the Nye County Liquor and Licensing Board, which includes the sheriff and the five-member county commission.

Richard Schonfeld, Fleiss' attorney in Las Vegas, said the "legwork" has begun on her brothel license application. The document should be filed with Nye County officials by the end of the year "or shortly after," he said.

Fleiss will probably have to answer a lot of questions about her past, but, Schonfeld said, he is confident the board will give her application a fair and unbiased review.

In the 1990s, Fleiss ran a high-priced ring of call girls to the stars. Then she became more famous than some of her clients by getting busted and serving time.

"There has been a lot of grumbling about her criminal history, but that was a long time ago and she's paid her debt to society," he said. "I think they will find she is the type of person the county would like to see in this industry."

At the moment, Fleiss, who turns 40 this month, is busy unpacking boxes, hooking up the phone and having the plumbing fixed in the modest two-bedroom house she is renting near the northern edge of Pahrump.

She is also making arrangements to develop the 60 acres she and her brother, Jesse, own in Crystal and trying as hard as she can not to ruffle any feathers, least of all those of the Nye County officials who will decide her project's fate.

"I know there's a protocol, and I want to follow it," said Fleiss, as she spackled over a few small holes in the walls of her house.

Tuesday was her first night at her Pahrump address. She spent Monday with three young architects from Germany who are interested in designing her bordello.

Fleiss said she knows that to get women to drive 80 miles from Las Vegas to a dusty crossroads like Crystal, she has to create "a sexy, mysterious oasis in the desert."

"It just has to all be done right," she said.

Brandt said he has never been to Crystal and knows nothing about it. He said that as long as there is a bookstore, he'll be happy.

Crystal is home to a saloon, a brothel and not much else. The closest place to buy books is Pahrump, about 25 miles away.

Fleiss said her stud farm will cater only to women, though she thinks a brothel for gay men would be "a gold mine."

"I don't think Nevada is ready for that. I don't think the world is ready for that," she said. "It's enough just to have a male brothel for females."

Though she insists she is fully committed to her business plan, Fleiss said that if it doesn't work out, she can always hire women and switch to a more traditional brothel operation. "Naturally, that would be an easy fallback position," she said.

Schonfeld said such a change might require a review by the county but would not force Fleiss to apply for a new license.

Soon, a camera crew will begin trailing Fleiss as she moves ahead with her plans.

HBO has entered into a deal with Fleiss to turn her quest for her own brothel into a made-for-cable documentary. The movie will be produced and directed by the makers of documentaries on Tammy Faye Baker, Monica Lewinsky and the X-rated movie "Deep Throat."

Fleiss predicts the documentary will be a success, even if her pursuit of her first legal prostitution business isn't.

"No matter what, they get a good story," she said.