Nevada brothel owner, dubbed 'Trump from Pahrump,' dies - sheriff

By Tim Reid

 

FILE PHOTO: Dennis Hof, owner of the Moonlite BunnyRanch legal brothel and recent winner of the Republican primary election for Nevada State Assembly District 36, sits in the parlour of the brothel in Mound House, Nevada, U.S. June 16, 2018. REUTERS/Steve Marcus/File Photo

 

(Reuters) - The brothel-owning, evangelical Christian-backed Republican Nevada state legislature candidate who nicknamed himself the "Trump from Pahrump," died on Tuesday, a local sheriff's office said.

 

Dennis Hof, 72, styled himself as America's best-known pimp, a strip-club owner who ran multiple brothels. His political rise reflected fundamental changes in electoral norms that have roiled the Republican Party and upended American politics during the era of President Donald Trump.

 

"This really is the Trump movement," Hof said in a June interview at Moonlite BunnyRanch, his brothel near his home in Pahrump, Nevada. "People will set aside for a moment their moral beliefs, their religious beliefs, to get somebody that is honest in office."

 

The Nye County Sheriff's Office said on its website that Hof had been found dead at one of his properties in Crystal, Nevada.

 

Friends found him dead when they went to wake him for a meeting hours after his 72nd birthday party, his campaign manager, Chuck Muth, said on Twitter. He said that Hof appeared to have died in his sleep.

 

After Hof won the June nominating contest for a state Assembly seat, some evangelicals in his Republican-leaning district said they had voted for him because they believed he would clean up politics and not be beholden to special-interest groups and their money.

 

The thrice-divorced author of "The Art of the Pimp," who appeared on HBO's "Cathouse," owned a strip club and five legal brothels in Nevada, the only U.S. state with legalized prostitution. But the source of Hof's wealth did not deter his supporters.

 

"We have politicians, they might speak good words, not sleep with prostitutes, be a good neighbour," evangelical pastor Victor Fuentes said in June. "But by their decisions, they have evil in their heart. Dennis Hof is not like that."

 

For decades, evangelical voters have been a pillar of the Republican Party, using grassroots muscle to turn out votes and engage in political battles over hot-button social issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage.

 

But in recent years, many conservative Christians have lost trust in establishment Republicans, whom they accuse of not fighting for values they feel are under attack in modern America.

 

Other conservative Christian voters were wary of Hof.

 

An investigation of three of his brothels turned up immigration violations and indications of possible human trafficking, local officials said earlier this month. Hof denied the allegations.

 

(Reporting by Tim Reid in San Antonio; Editing by Scott Malone, Peter Cooney and Bill Berkrot)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-10-17

An inflammatory post has been reported and removed.  

 

4 hours ago, webfact said:

The brothel-owning, evangelical Christian-backed Republican Nevada state legislature candidate

That about sums up politics

24 minutes ago, klauskunkel said:

That about sums up politics

It sums up the current GOP version of politics.

The man lived and died doing what he liked best. RIP.  All I sense here is envy 5555

 

It should be a very interesting funeral service what with all his notoriety & different cross section of connections....

1 hour ago, pgrahmm said:

It should be a very interesting funeral service what with all his notoriety & different cross section of connections....

Then seeing Trump there  .....???

6 hours ago, webfact said:

"People will set aside for a moment their moral beliefs, their religious beliefs, to get somebody that is honest in office."

So then honesty has nothing to do with morality or religion.

Sounds like Trump for sure.

The "support from evangelical pastors" seems a bit overwrought - every article I read about him quoted that same one guy. I'm thinking most didn't want to be associated with him whether they were secretly going to vote for him or not.

If you know his backstory, he seemed like a pretty terrible, disturbed person. Not someone to admire or emulate. If you "envy" abusing women, then you might find something to like in him.

https://nypost.com/2015/03/08/the-bizarre-memoir-of-americas-most-famous-legal-brothel/

https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/former-prostitutes-allege-unwelcome-sexual-contact-from-brothel-owner-dennis-hof

 

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Friends found him dead when they went to wake him for a meeting hours after his 72nd birthday party, his campaign manager, Chuck Muth, said on Twitter. He said that Hof appeared to have died in his sleep.

Surely he could have gone a happier way...

37 minutes ago, Bangkok Herps said:

The "support from evangelical pastors" seems a bit overwrought - every article I read about him quoted that same one guy. I'm thinking most didn't want to be associated with him whether they were secretly going to vote for him or not.

If you know his backstory, he seemed like a pretty terrible, disturbed person. Not someone to admire or emulate. If you "envy" abusing women, then you might find something to like in him.

https://nypost.com/2015/03/08/the-bizarre-memoir-of-americas-most-famous-legal-brothel/

https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/former-prostitutes-allege-unwelcome-sexual-contact-from-brothel-owner-dennis-hof

 

Yeah - there's really not much to like about the guy....

17 minutes ago, Basil B said:

Surely he could have gone a happier way...

Guessing that it wasn't your traditional BD party & he probably "got happy" along the way.....Also guessing there were some party favors there of every type & variety....

 

Probably a fitting & final "happy ending".....

Edited October 17, 20187 yr by pgrahmm

1 hour ago, pgrahmm said:

Yeah - there's really not much to like about the guy....

Well he’s he’s improved himself by becoming a dead human trafficker.

He was featured in a TV series called Cat House if I remember. Personally have no problem with what he was doing if it was legal. Can't get my head arround why Evangelical support him? Anything goes as long as you say you are Evangelical? 

14 hours ago, car720 said:

Only in America or Thailand.  

Please... Don't insult Thailand ????

3 hours ago, alanrchase said:

He was featured in a TV series called Cat House if I remember. Personally have no problem with what he was doing if it was legal. Can't get my head arround why Evangelical support him? Anything goes as long as you say you are Evangelical? 

I guess as long as he was against abortion, same sex marriage etc... it was ok for Evangelicals.

14 minutes ago, candide said:

I guess as long as he was against abortion, same sex marriage etc... it was ok for Evangelicals.

maybe evangelicals are not opposed to sex outside of marriage.

19 hours ago, webfact said:

An investigation of three of his brothels turned up immigration violations and indications of possible human trafficking, local officials said earlier this month. Hof denied the allegations.

If true, then the world is a better place with one less human trafficker in it. 

Been to Nevada a few times and lost all my money in  Lost Wages!  Not in

any of this guys businesses.

Geezer