The trial of Jody (Babydol) Gibson, accused of running a call girl ring catering to well-heeled Los Angeles and Hollywood area clients, began March 7 with the defense saying alleged prostitutes were unlikely to testify in the case.
The 41-year-old suspected madam is accused of pimping, pandering, and procuring for prostitution, which her defense says was nothing more than Gibson being an aspiring porn film producer hiring people to work in the films she planned.
Deputy District Attorney Richard Waldmark told the jury it was an open question whether alleged prostitutes in the case could be brought in to testify. The defense told the jury five had been called to testify during preliminary hearings but took the Fifth Amendment then.
Prosecutors say Gibson's operation featured up to 34 women charging as high as $3,000 per assignment. Defense attorney Geral Scotti, however, told the jury on the trial's first day prosecutors would never be able to prove she was involved in anything other than porn film work. The Los Angeles Times says Scotti also brought back a longtime suggestion of police misconduct, involving an undercover officer romping naked with one alleged prostitute and taking nude photographs of her during a sting operation.
Also during the first day, the jury heard a tape of a Los Angeles police officer and Gibson in which the alleged madam discussed pay and worker rules - including one saying workers had to provide their own condoms, according to the Times. Other police testimony is expected to include a discussion of evidence seized from Gibson's home.
And it's still a possibility, according to the defense, that either prominent names found in Gibson's address book will be revealed during the trial, or that two contributors to Los Angeles District Attorney Gil Garcetti's political coffers could be called to testify.
