Heidi Fleiss will face charges after 392 pot plants were found at her Nevada desert home.
Fleiss was given the nickname the Hollywood Madam in the 1990s after she was accused of running a high-priced call-girl ring.
Deputies went to Fleiss’ home in Pahrump, some 45 miles west of Las Vegas, last week on unrelated matter.
They were searching for a wanted woman and, by chance, found the marijuana plants, according to Nye County Sheriff Tony De Meo.
The sheriff’s office did not reveal who they had been searching for, but they said it was not the first time.
Fleiss, 47, told detectives she was growing cannabis to sell to a Las Vegas cooperative. However, she admitted that she did not have a license to do so.
The deputies also found grow lights and chemicals used to cultivate marijuana. The plants were collected and the equipment was destroyed.
Heidi Fleiss was not arrested because she was taking care of exotic birds worth $200,000. Also she co-operated throughout the investigation.
However, Sheriff De Meo said,his office had turned the case over to prosecutors . Their decision had been to charge Fleiss with possession of marijuana with the intent to sell.
Fleiss became a media sensation following her 1993 arrest in Los Angeles on suspicion of running a prostitution business. Her clients were Hollywood celebrities and the wealthy.
After two trials, she was convicted on federal tax evasion charges in connection with the prostitution ring and served nearly two years in prison.
She never revealed the names of her clients, but actor Charlie Sheen acknowledged that he paid thousands of dollars for the services of her prostitutes.
In 2008, Heidi Fleiss was the subject of a documentary based on her attempts to set up a legal brothel near Pahrump catering to women.
photo credit: hbo.com