Probation has a silver lining for Fleiss

The former Hollywood madam will have to live the clean life for the next three years as part of her sentence on felony drug charges in Nye County.

Heidi Fleiss, 43, was sentenced Tuesday in Pahrump to three years of probation and ordered to give up drugs, alcohol and gambling during that time.

She also will have to complete a drug seminar and submit to random testing for narcotics and alcohol.

Fleiss already completed drug treatment on her own, albeit as a paid cast member on the VH-1 reality show "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew," which is set to air early next year.

After Tuesday's sentencing by Nye County District Judge John Davis, Fleiss said she should not have any trouble living up to the terms of her probation. Basically, she said, she has to stay off drugs for the rest of her life, so three years should be no problem.

"Anything that's going to keep me on the right path, I'm all for," Fleiss said. "This whole thing was stupid on my part. I'm just irritated with myself."

In July, she pleaded guilty to unlawful use of methamphetamine and possession of the painkiller hydrocodone without a prescription. The charges stemmed from a Feb. 7, 2008, traffic stop outside a plumbing supply store where Fleiss had gone to buy items for her house in Pahrump, 60 miles west of Las Vegas.

She was found in possession of six hydrocodone pills for which she had no prescription. A blood test taken after her arrest showed methamphetamine in her system.

Nye County District Attorney Bob Beckett said Fleiss was barred from gambling after a parole and probation report suggested casino games might fuel her addictions.

"It's probably a good thing," said Fleiss, who is known to play blackjack from time to time. "It's like being barred from eating hot dogs. Who cares?"

The only part of her sentence Fleiss dreads is having to get permission every time she leaves the state.

"It's such a hassle," she said.

Fleiss once ran a high-priced prostitution ring in Southern California providing models-turned-prostitutes to wealthy clients. She was convicted of money laundering, tax evasion and attempted pandering and served 21 months in a California prison before being released in 1999.

Fleiss moved to Pahrump in late 2005.

She faced up to five years of probation in the Pahrump case.

If she makes it through three years without any violations, the felony convictions will be removed from her record, Beckett said.

"We wish her the best of luck. Hopefully she turns things around so she can get on with her life," he said.

First, though, Fleiss has some other legal problems to attend to.

Late last year, her former landlord filed a lawsuit alleging that her menagerie of parrots caused more than $40,000 in damage to a house she was renting in Pahrump.

Then, on Aug. 31, Fleiss was sued over her latest business venture, a Las Vegas grooming business called Dirty Dog that is mixed up in the divorce proceedings of its previous owners.

"Sometimes being Heidi Fleiss can be a pain in the ass," she said.

Contact reporter Henry Brean at hbrean@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350.