Montgomery Blair Sibley provides a sad update via e-mail today regarding the infamous “DC Madam”:

Judge Robertson Sets Status Hearing In Palfrey Case

Greetings:

As you all know, Jeane died on May 1, 2008, in an apparent suicide.

As a result, Judge Robertson was required to dismiss the criminal charges against her thus ending the criminal suit. See: Order of May 20, 2008.

The dismissal of the criminal case lifts the stay of the civil forfeiture of Jeane’s seized assets — which total over $1.5 million — and that civil case will now proceed. That stay order was entered to prevent Jeane from being able: “to obtain an impermissible advantage and to prejudice the Government’s position in this criminal prosecution.”

Judge Robertson has set a status conference for Tuesday, June 17, 2008 at 9:30 a.m. in Courtroom 23A. At that time, the Judge will address the substitution for Jeane by a representative of Jeane’s estate to contest the forfeiture of Jeane’s assets.

That contest could ultimately result in a complete re-trial of the matters raised in the criminal case with the significant difference that the rules of civil procedure would allow broad discovery of information that the government was able to block from use in the criminal matter. That information includes, among other data, the names of 855 customers of the Jeane’s escort service and their telephone numbers saved for — but oddly not used — in the criminal trial and heretofore never publicly revealed which are presently in the custody of the undersigned.

Our read on this: The case lives on, and quite a few people should still be on edge. We hope Jeane is watching.