Police say 'Heidi Fleiss of Houston' ran sophisticated prostitution ring with her husband

A woman authorities are calling the "Heidi Fleiss of Houston" and her husband have been arrested on allegations of running a sophisticated prostitution ring considered the largest of its kind in the city.

Debbie Turbiville, 33, and Charles Turbiville, 31, were free on $5,000 bond each Wednesday, about a year and a half after a suspected prostitute disclosed to police her involvement in a Houston escort service that operated through Web sites.

According to court documents, the couple's client list includes professional athletes, doctors and lawyers, the Houston Chronicle and Houston television station KHOU reported. The names haven't been disclosed.

"Our clients are presumed innocent, and there are rules and the ethics require that we don't make statements that could influence the jury pool," said Joe Owmby, one of the couple's lawyers.

Owmby, who recently left after 20 years with the Harris County District Attorney's Office, told The Eagle in Bryan-College Station that he couldn't address any of the allegations.

Charles Turbiville grew up in College Station and his father is a well-known radio personality there.

Charles Turbiville and his wife, parents of two children, and two alleged prostitutes were arrested last week in Houston and charged with aggravated promotion of prostitution. Conviction on the third-degree felony carries up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine but authorities said additional charges are likely.

"She's the Heidi Fleiss of Houston," Houston Police Sgt. Mark Kilty said. "She was the one all the big players go to. If you come to town and you're a big player, you call her. She screens you and she knows who you are and then you're good to go."

Fleiss gained notoriety more than a decade ago as a Hollywood madam, running a prostitution ring in which models-turned prostitutes were flown around the world to meet wealthy clients who paid as much as $10,000 for a single meeting. She was released from a California prison in 1999 after serving 21 months for money laundering, tax evasion and attempted pandering.

Turbiville's alleged operation doesn't appear to be in the same financial stratosphere, although police said a client list so far totals about 1,500 people. Owmby said he hadn't seen such a list or documentation.

"I don't know if one even exists," he said.

Kilty said the ring's customers underwent criminal background checks before they were approved for meetings with the prostitutes at a hotel or three-bedroom apartment in an upscale area of west Houston, where they were charged upward of $300 an hour for the sessions that typically were conducted during afternoon hours so they wouldn't draw much attention.

"You had to be brought into what she called 'her family,'" Kilty said. "These weren't johns off the street. These were suit-and-tie businessmen. She had the upper scale. She probably had the biggest escort service in Houston."

The business grew through word of mouth and Web site advertising, including one called "Vivian's Friends," with "Vivian" being an alter ego for Debbie Turbiville. The sites have been taken down.

Police said one of the two alleged prostitutes arrested was cooperating with authorities.

The Turbivilles were arrested at their 2,200-square-foot home and vice officers also seized a car and truck and a safe that contained gold coins and gold bars.

Owmby said he believed the couple sold real estate. The Texas Secretary of State's Office lists Charles Turbiville as a director and chief executive officer and Deborah Turbiville is listed as a director and chief operations officer of Turbiville LLC.

The company's description or purpose is not identified but Charles Turbiville, according to The Eagle, is listed on his Facebook social networking site as working for the company since 2004. He described it as an "international investment company focusing on real estate, gold, silver, fiat currencies and venture capital."