A convicted Hollywood madam, Michelle Braun, is claiming that many of her high paid escorts were well known Playboy centerfolds, and that she serviced celebrities, kings, and professional athletes. Braun isn’t naming names yet, but she’s set to publish a tell-all book and there are more than a few former clients and employees running scared. What’s more is that Braun says that many of Hugh Hefner’s girlfriends were paid prostitutes through her agency. She worked up until her federal bust in 2007, and this new story in the NY Post claims that she was working for 11 years. That means that we’re not necessarily talking about “The Girls Next Door,” as Braun started booking escorts in 1996. Not that Bridget, Kendra and Holly didn’t have ulterior motives for bedding an octogenarian.

Hollywood madam Michelle Braun is out to destroy the myth about Playboy Playmates which Hugh Hefner and his staff cultivated for decades — that the pin-ups are wholesome girls-next-door who just happen to have incredible figures they don’t mind showing off.

Braun — sentenced last week to three years’ probation and six months of house detention — is planning to write a tell-all about her 11-year career hooking up centerfolds and porn stars with the men who could afford the $10,000 minimum for a date.

Her clients included the kings of two countries, Fortune 500 CEOs and professional athletes, two of whom — a baseball star and a race car driver — ended up marrying the Playboy Playmates they met through Braun’s agency, Nici’s Girls.

Braun, who now lives in Florida with her two daughters, won’t name names yet. Of one very single TV personality, she said, “If I dropped his name to Page Six, I certainly wouldn’t be his idol.

“I only worked with famous girls, mostly Playmates. Hef couldn’t keep any of his girlfriends in the [Playboy] Mansion,” she said. “At one time, seven of the eight girls living in the Mansion were working for me. I had one of his girlfriends in the Mansion just to recruit for me.”

Playboy finally sued Braun for copyright infringement after she sent an e-mail to a prospective client with photos of one of her girls from the mag. She ended up settling the suit.

Braun also settled with the feds. After being investigated for years and raided by the FBI, she copped a plea to two felonies — money laundering and transporting a woman across state lines for the purpose of prostitution. “The girls and the clients were being harassed. I took the bullet for everyone,” she said. “In a way, I’m like Jesus, only prettier.” She laughed, “That’s a joke.”

[From The NY Post]

Poor Hugh Hefner. He can’t even find his own women who want to live rent free with an allowance and all meals catered. He has to rely on a go-between.

I don’t really care which sports stars married former Playmates who were also prostitutes, but just for fun I googled “Baseball player former Playmate,” and “Race car driver former Playmate.” The only match I found in my five minutes of research was Mike Piazza and Alicia Rickter, who married in 2005. (Here’s a list of racecar driver’s wives and girlfriends, but I couldn’t find any that stand out. There are plenty of models in the mix.)

Of course Braun is talking about Simon Cowell, when she says “If I dropped his name to Page Six, I certainly wouldn’t be his idol.” It’s not like she means Ryan Seacrest. I have a feeling that neither one of those guys would sweat it if the news came out that they’d hired prostitutes.

Braun has been photographed with Paris Hilton, Mickey Rourke, and Terrence Howard. We can’t assume that any of those people were clients or otherwise benefited from her services, but would it be so much of a stretch?

Photo credit: The Juice Blog