Joe Conforte
Encyclopedia
Joe Conforte was the owner of the Mustang Ranch
, a Nevada brothel that was the first legal brothel in the United States. The brothel was closed by the Internal Revenue Service
(IRS) in 1999, but is now reopened under new management. He is portrayed by Joe Pesci
in the 2010 film Love Ranch
.
. Look Magazine in June 1971, stated Conforte was age 48. He immigrated with his family to the United States in 1937 and settled in Dorchester, Massachusetts
.
During World War II and into the early 1950s, Conforte was a cab driver in Oakland, California
. He drove soldiers from the Oakland Army Base
, and sailors from the Oakland Naval Supply Depot and Alameda Naval Air Station, to brothels on the border of Alameda County and Contra Costa County.
, an illegal brothel at the junction of Washoe
, Storey
, and Lyon
counties. In 1959, Conforte served 22 months in jail after attempting to extort the Washoe County district attorney. In 1963, convicted for the crime of income tax evasion, Conforte served two and a half years in prison.
to direct guests to the legal brothel.
. She was fined $10,000 and given a suspended sentence; he faced a minimum five years in prison and $10,000 fine. Conforte appealed his conviction but fled the country in 1980 when he lost the appeal. He later returned and served a reduced sentence.
in 1991, ahead of a federal grand jury
handing up numerous indictments in 1995 and 1998. The Brazilian Supreme Court ruled in 1999 that the extradition treaty between Brazil and the United States did not cover bankruptcy fraud. , he continues to live in Brazil.
Mustang Ranch
The Mustang Ranch, originally known as the Mustang Bridge Ranch, is a brothel in Storey County, Nevada, about fifteen miles east of Reno. It is currently located at 1011 Wild Horse Canyon Dr Sparks, NV 89434....
, a Nevada brothel that was the first legal brothel in the United States. The brothel was closed by the Internal Revenue Service
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
(IRS) in 1999, but is now reopened under new management. He is portrayed by Joe Pesci
Joe Pesci
Joseph Frank "Joe" Pesci is an American actor, comedian, and musician.He is known for playing a variety of different roles, from violent mobsters to comedic leads to quirky sidekicks...
in the 2010 film Love Ranch
Love Ranch
Love Ranch is a 2010 drama film directed by Taylor Hackford and starring Helen Mirren and Joe Pesci.-Background:The film is based on the lives of Joe and Sally Conforte, a married couple who opened the first legal brothel in the United States, the Mustang Ranch in Storey County, Nevada. Violence...
.
Early life
Joe Conforte was born in 1926 in Augusta, a little city close to Siracusa in SicilySicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
. Look Magazine in June 1971, stated Conforte was age 48. He immigrated with his family to the United States in 1937 and settled in Dorchester, Massachusetts
Dorchester, Massachusetts
Dorchester is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is named after the town of Dorchester in the English county of Dorset, from which Puritans emigrated and is today endearingly nicknamed "Dot" by its residents. Dorchester, including a large...
.
During World War II and into the early 1950s, Conforte was a cab driver in Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
. He drove soldiers from the Oakland Army Base
Oakland Army Base
The Oakland Army Base, also known as the Oakland Army Terminal, was a former United States Army base in the San Francisco Bay Area of California...
, and sailors from the Oakland Naval Supply Depot and Alameda Naval Air Station, to brothels on the border of Alameda County and Contra Costa County.
Triangle River Ranch
Conforte moved to Nevada in 1955 and opened the Triangle River Ranch brothel in WadsworthWadsworth, Nevada
Wadsworth is a census-designated place in Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The population was 881 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Reno–Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town was named for General James S. Wadsworth, a Civil War general killed at the battle of the...
, an illegal brothel at the junction of Washoe
Washoe County, Nevada
Washoe County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nevada. The population was 421,407 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is Reno. Washoe County includes the Reno-Sparks metropolitan area.-History:...
, Storey
Storey County, Nevada
Storey County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2000 census, the population was 3,399, which was estimated to have risen to 4,110 in 2006...
, and Lyon
Lyon County, Nevada
Lyon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2010 census, the population was 51,980. Its county seat is Yerington.-History:...
counties. In 1959, Conforte served 22 months in jail after attempting to extort the Washoe County district attorney. In 1963, convicted for the crime of income tax evasion, Conforte served two and a half years in prison.
Mustang Ranch
Joe Conforte and his wife, Sally Burgess Conforte took over the Mustang Bridge Ranch in Storey County in 1967 (the name of the brothel was later changed to Mustang Ranch.) In 1971, Storey County made prostitution legal and licensed Conforte as a brothel owner. Conforte paid bell men at the famous Mapes HotelMapes Hotel
The Mapes Hotel was a hotel/casino located in Reno, Nevada, next to the Truckee River on Virginia Street. It was built in 1947, and opened on December 17 of that year. It was the first skyscraper built in the Western United States since the start of World War II...
to direct guests to the legal brothel.
Legal problems
In April 1977, Joe and Sally Conforte were arrested on 10 counts of income tax evasionTax avoidance and tax evasion
Tax noncompliance describes a range of activities that are unfavorable to a state's tax system. These include tax avoidance, which refers to reducing taxes by legal means, and tax evasion which refers to the criminal non-payment of tax liabilities....
. She was fined $10,000 and given a suspended sentence; he faced a minimum five years in prison and $10,000 fine. Conforte appealed his conviction but fled the country in 1980 when he lost the appeal. He later returned and served a reduced sentence.
Flight to Brazil
Conforte fled to BrazilBrazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
in 1991, ahead of a federal grand jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
handing up numerous indictments in 1995 and 1998. The Brazilian Supreme Court ruled in 1999 that the extradition treaty between Brazil and the United States did not cover bankruptcy fraud. , he continues to live in Brazil.