did it as a favor.

I didn't know the guy had been arrested, and they had made a deal.

We were going to open up an after hours, and I brought three kilos and was arrested.

Oh, the DEA agent had arrested me.

He goes, why don't you become a madam or something like that?

You're killing people with these drugs.

So I was like, huh.

You're listening to Madam, a podcast about Julie Moya and New York City's most famous brothel.

Hello, everyone, and welcome to the third episode of Madam.

I'm Ben Sky, and sitting across from me as always is my co-host, Em Vaughn.

First off, thanks so much to everyone who listened to the last episode and sent in feedback.

If you like the podcast and you want to help us out, please rate and review us on Spotify and on Apple Podcasts.

It helps get the word out.

Couple of pieces of business from the last episode.

First off, I miscredited that resource that defined all the acronyms that are used in sex work.

I thought it was put out by Swap, but it was put out by the Scarlet Alliance.

So that is linked properly on the episode notes.

And also, we heard a few responses about where people thought dining from the Y came from.

Em, did you hear from anybody?

I did, I heard from someone.

He said, for what it's worth, I always thought it was because a woman with her legs spread is making a Y shape with her body, but I could be wrong.

I think that he's onto something there.

Yeah, I heard the same from a friend of mine.

And the weirdest response I got was somebody referring to the shape of the fallopian tubes.

Which are shaped like a Y.

And so the proximity to the fallopian tubes meant that you're dining at the Y.

But I saw a picture, I think it's like a T-shirt, that gave a visual representation of where dining at the Y comes from.

I'm gonna put it on the episode notes so that people can see it, because there's no way to really describe it.

It's still weird because it's like the negative space makes the Y in the picture.

And also, as you said, the Y is still a place for gay men to have gay sex.

Yeah, the Y is the YMCA.

So I think that's all the housekeeping.

So we've got a really great, great episode that I've been looking forward to releasing for a while now.

Em, what was this conversation that you had with Julie about?

Well, wow.

So this conversation I had with Julie was basically her backstory.

In this episode in particular, we wanted to give space to her childhood in particular, and circumstances surrounding, you know, how she first got involved in sex work, which we've talked about a little bit.

But in these conversations, it kind of paints a fuller picture.

The way we've divided up today's episode, it sort of happens in four chunks, which each cover a different section of Julie's life.

Yes, the first segment deals with Julie's childhood.

So I would say about 13 and under.

And, you know, you'll listen in here that Julie had to grow up extremely fast.

The second segment deals with her entering into sex work, working at the Hustler Club, and having to go into witness protection program.

The third segment deals with her working in New York.

Leaving her pimp and then meeting her ex-husband who she moved to Argentina with and then leaving him in Argentina and coming back.

The fourth segment is her return to New York and her first arrest.

Which actually had nothing to do with sex work, but it's still a crazy story.

But I was sad to share with everyone, so we'll all shut up now.

Yeah.

Tell me to shut up.

Where were you born?

Like, where did you kind of grow up?

I was born in Cincinnati, Ohio.

I grew up there.

I lived with my grandma for a while because my mother became pregnant by a jazz musician in Kentucky.

And he was, of course, he was married.

She was 15.

So she had me and she married someone else.

And he adopted me and they raised me without me knowing for a long time that he wasn't my father.

What was your relationship like with your mom and your parents?

My mom was like a very cold woman.

Like there's no intimacy, but you know, she didn't hit me or anything like that.

She was not mean, but she was very chilly and they had like four other children after me.

And they, it was real nice to the other kids, right?

And not, he never hit me or anything like that.

Just cold, you know what I mean?

Like you could feel that something was weird.

Um, so you, you grew up kind of like living with your grandmother.

Were you really close to her growing up?

Yeah, I loved my grandmother.

She was really great.

She was the only person that was there for me, but she was really there for me.

What was her name?

Her name was Dorothy.

They called her Dottie.

And my grandmother was, her family were German Jews.

Her name was Eckstein.

She gave me affection.

She was nice.

And my grandmother owned like a little store, like a little grocery store, right?

And she lived upstairs in Cincinnati on Eastern Avenue.

And I loved it down there because my grandmother, you know, it was fun.

I would go in the store, watch her sell, you know, watch her, you know, she was a personal person.

You know, she used to set this little thing up for me on an old Coca-Cola box, like a little counter, like I was selling stuff.

I would come to her with everything.

She, matter of fact, became a working girl accidentally very briefly when she applied for a job in some newspaper article to be a nanny or a housekeeper or something.

And when she got there, it was a lock up.

And she finally got out, but she was there for a couple months.

So she understands a lot of stuff too.

She's really, really, she was really great.

So you've been like honest with her or like been able to talk about your life with her like throughout the year?

I was very honest with her.

I would work, you know, doing different things as a dancer.

When I was underage, she would hold my money, save it, you know.

Yeah, she was really, she was cool, but she was there for me and she'd say, you shouldn't be doing this and you know.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Just looking out for you and stuff.

Right.

Was your mom different in that way?

Couldn't share a lot with her?

Oh, yeah, she was one of these Roman Catholics.

You mentioned you were raised really straight.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Everything was, you know, this and that.

And, you know, one day I was saying, I'm going to get married and have a baby.

She said, don't ever say that.

You know, just silliness.

You know what I'm saying?

Like anything relating to sex or anything she was like against.

I think she was like trying to make up for her mistakes because you've got to remember in the 50s, I was born in the 57, you have to remember that, well, you can't remember, but you know, they did not, it was just like a, you know, oh my God, she's not married.

She had a baby and blah, blah, blah.

Yeah.

It was a genuine child.

Yeah.

It was like a really big deal.

Yeah, totally.

But when my mom got a job, she got a job at some kachil bar or restaurant or something.

My father, I remember my father, take your bastard with you.

And I remember the principal called me in, I had done something and she said, you're never going to go to heaven because your mother was not married when she had a baby.

You know, I don't know how she knew this, but she knew it.

And my mother went back there and, you know, cursed her out, blah, how could you say that?

You know, blah, blah, blah.

Did you enjoy school?

Do you remember?

Yeah, I loved school.

Yeah?

Yeah.

What did you like about it?

Just going to school, interacting with people, you know, learning things.

I remember the first day, I remember my first kindergarten.

Really?

I know it sounds crazy.

Yeah, I went to kindergarten and my mom plowed the bus in the car to make sure I got there safely.

So I was really afraid.

And then this is the weirdest thing that happened.

I know this is really weird, but the teachers, there's one uneven person in this room, right?

So she's like saying the boy and the girl, the boy and the girl, different names.

And it had to be my name was the last name was the extra, you know, so it made me feel like, oh my God, like, I can't explain it like the odd man out.

Yeah, that really made like a weird impression with me, like, I felt like I didn't really belong.

I wasn't in the, you know, in that order, maybe because of the situation with the parents and it's just, you know, I was insecure and that was like another additional, another addition to that insecurity.

One day in school, you know, like says, you know, they have the day where you come in the parents and stuff and the teacher said, Wow, your daughter is so good at art, right?

She should try to pursue that later in time.

And on the way home, my father was like, she's not really good in art.

That's ridiculous.

You can tell her that, you know, stuff like that made me insecure.

And I believe that, yeah, but it was, you know, I liked school a lot, but then when I got into a certain grade, I had to leave school.

I was in sixth, I finished sixth grade.

And then you?

I got married.

Can you talk to us about that?

Well, it was just sort of, you know, parents put it together and married me off.

How did that come about?

Well, my father, my mother, he really didn't like me.

He didn't speak to me hardly ever.

I mean, he just didn't talk to me from the time I was little.

So it was uncomfortable being there anyway.

So to me, it was just, you know, I was kind of like in the way of the situation.

And I was like, really like too young for that, you know what I mean?

It was like, it was, at first, it was exciting, because I was getting married, I went to Tennessee, you know, because you have to be 12 there.

And at the time Campbell County or something.

Yeah, I went there and it was exciting fun.

His parents took us there, right?

He was older, though, and we were married and we moved in with them, but it just didn't, we didn't get along.

I had a baby and I ran away.

This literally left.

My mom got a little girl, she was born with a really bad heart problem.

I couldn't have been a mother at that age.

I really, I know there are people that have been and they've done okay, but not me, it just was too immature.

But anyways, so like I said, I just ran away from the marriage.

And you know, she raised a little girl.

Now she's, she actually has almost died so many times, but she's still alive, believe it or not.

Yeah, she's 50 something.

Do y'all talk often?

Now I'm close with her.

Yeah, she's really nice girl.

She's an artist and you know, she's really nice.

Do you make any art?

Not really, I like to mess around and draw crazy stuff.

Yeah, and that's making art.

Hell yeah.

You think she gets on from you then?

Maybe.

Well, that's amazing.

I draw naked women all day.

I do.

Hey everyone, just a quick interruption to let you know that there's a certain part of this era of Julie's life that we didn't include in this episode for editing reasons.

So we're releasing it as a bonus episode later this week.

It's the story of how Julie sought out and met her real father and how that affected her life.

We're going to be doing more of these bonus sections as the series progresses.

Most of them will only be available to our Patreon subscribers.

So if you like the show and you want to hear more of Julie's story and more of the incredible life she's lived, please visit patreon.com/madampod.

It's very affordable and we'd love to share more with you about Julie and her life.

We also did want to go ahead and give a content warning.

This next conversation includes some hard subject matter, some pretty blatant descriptions of abuse towards women, frank discussion of underage prostitution.

There's going to be mentions of murder, underage sex trafficking and sex trafficking in general.

Yeah, so if you don't want to hear that, you can go ahead and skip ahead to 24 minutes.

Or at least just be vigilant and take care of yourself as you're listening to this conversation.

When I was a kid, and I think it was my mom who sent me to the store, then when I went in and I was just getting my breasts and stuff, and I realized what a difference it is when you start to become sort of like a woman.

Like as soon as I walked in the store, he's like, if you let me feel your breasts, you can have anything.

And I was like, wow, women's bodies are very powerful.

I mean, it's horrible at that age, but in stuff that I'm just saying, that's when the realization of that took place.

Definitely.

And so that kind of floated in your mind.

The attention is like, well, you know, it changes life.

Did you like that kind of attention or were you like kind of...

Yeah, I liked it.

And it's funny because I guess different women feel different ways, but yeah, no, I really liked my body and I liked being able to, you know, cut to selling because I didn't at the time.

But I'm saying I just could get almost anything, you know, that you want.

Yeah.

I mean, the first client that I know I ever had was, I had a girlfriend named Helen.

She wasn't a working girl, but you know, she was just like this wild girl.

And she took me to a hotel, I think it was like 12.

And she said, this guy, I want you to, you know, just jerk him off.

Well, I'm doing this and that.

And I was like, you know, so I did.

She got money.

I didn't get money.

Serious?

Oh my God.

What was that like?

Oh, I thought it was funny.

I didn't mind it.

I like the attention of it all.

I didn't even have a sexual feeling of it.

I just liked the attention, you know what I mean?

Then I felt guilty about that too, about having the attention.

When did you, what was your first experience dancing?

That was at the Hustler Club.

And I was in this place called the Talbot House, where like teenagers have problems, you know, runways and all that stuff.

And I was there and one of the girls were like, I work at the Hustler Club and come with me, come with me.

Anyway, we went there and I was like, wow, you know, I felt like a star.

And I was like, you think I could get hired here?

And they're like, yes, you're going to get hired here.

You know, like you think so?

Anyway, I started making like 25 plus, plus everyday commission.

I mean, this is a long time ago.

Commissions on the champagne and on the...

I hated that part of the dancing.

Hustling drinks.

That was such a...

It was just aggravating and like, ugh, you know?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Plus I felt like I was ripping people off.

And so you all of a sudden started coming into like money.

Yeah, I got an apartment.

My grandmother helped me.

You know, we cleaned it and fixed it and stuff.

She came over.

It was nice.

And you were still like 16?

16, 17.

The cops used to always come in the Hustler Club and say, so, I'm dating Jill at the time.

Jill, when you were 18, you know, they would just make a joke because they knew I wasn't.

Oh my goodness.

And that's why when I seen that movie, I laughed because I'm like, wow, that's bullshit.

Yeah.

Yeah.

A lot of the girls are way underage.

Hey all, it's Ben again with a quick interruption.

So the movie that Julie is talking about here is the 1996 film, The People vs.

Larry Flynt, directed by Milos Forman who directed Amadeus and a bunch of other Oscar movies.

I watched it.

The most interesting thing about it is that it has a lot of scenes that actually take place in the Hustler Club when Julie was working there.

So I wanted to share a scene with you which features Larry Flynt played by Woody Harrelson having a discussion with a new dancer at the club who eventually becomes his wife, played by Courtney Love.

And in the scene, he tells her that they never hire people under 18 to dance at the club, which as you just heard, Julie says was totally inaccurate.

We have a policy in this club.

Oh, yeah?

Oh, trouble is I have a sneaking suspicion that you're not of age.

This, you know, this could cost me my liquor license.

I could have to close up shop and fire a lot of people.

I heard the story that you slept with every single girl in every one of your clubs.

Sort of a prerequisite.

I'm just wondering if that's true or not.

Did you know Larry Flynt?

He was my boss.

Before he was, you know, fucked up, he got shot.

But before that, he was, you know, he was he was OK.

He was a nice guy.

But his sex was weird.

He was like very masochistic.

He started the magazines in there when I was there.

So taking pictures, but it was only there.

The magazines was nowhere else.

So they started selling the magazines inside the club.

They didn't go anywhere yet.

He got too wild with everything.

Cincinnati is too conservative for him.

He had an apartment upstairs called Angel Apartments.

This was on Walnut Street in Cincinnati.

And he had an apartment up there.

And that's where everybody would go party and stuff like that upstairs.

What were they doing?

Oh, they did coke.

They'd hang out.

I didn't really do stuff like that then, but they would.

And you would like party, fuck, you know.

Yeah.

And girls upstairs.

And you know, you'd meet the people upstairs.

One of them's name was Lucky.

Him and another guy, you know.

I remember they were playing poker up there and stuff like that.

And you know, I started talking to them and they were like, wow, she's like a game.

And you know, you know what I mean?

They hyped me up like that.

And you know, I started to travel around with them a little bit.

There was a travel lodge over in Kentucky where everybody after the clubs were closed would all go over there.

The guy that takes pictures, all the gamblers, just everything.

And they were there, you know.

So I just got to know them like that.

And then they were like, listen, we've got, we're just, I heard them talking about it.

They were opening this place.

I think it was like in, damn near by Tennessee in the Kentucky.

And they were opening this place where it was out by a lake or something and they had a, there was going to be a lockdown.

Lockdown is like, not that you're actually locked down, but usually you'll go in there and, you know, commit to like a week in there.

You know, meals served in there and everything, but you're just working like 16 hours a day.

You might get truck drivers or, you know, on CB radio that they had back in those days.

I don't know if they have them or anything, but you know, they did, you know.

But you know, they were planning it, they were putting it together.

You know, it was going to be this place where we're going to make money.

And then he asked me, you know, listen, you know, hand these cards out to all the girls in the clubs and all the girls and tell them, you want to make money?

This is, you know, they told me what to say, you know, you want to make money, this is the place to go.

It's a place you can work and make good money and stuff like that.

I didn't realize how bad they were.

I thought they were just like, you know, one of the girls came back from that lock up, it was like, oh my God, you know, that was a bad situation, blah, blah, blah.

Most of the money she made was gone.

It was just not, it was just a real bad situation.

I felt horrible about that.

My God, I handed those cards out.

Because even though you hadn't been to the lockdown and you kind of had nothing to do, you were just kind of saying like...

No, I wasn't working there.

I was at the Hustler Club.

Right.

But they asked me to give those cards out to the girls who wanted to work.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And because that woman was...

It was men that ran it and they were like...

And the woman was murdered.

Yeah.

They did kill, I think, a couple girls and one found in a lake or something.

I mean, they were dancers and stuff.

I met in those clubs, you know, and put those people in a terrible position.

I didn't know.

I got arrested and they grabbed me.

I got really, you know, afraid, right?

I still didn't say anything.

And the feds kept coming to try to get me to talk, right?

Then one night, a cop came up to the cell and was like, listen, keep your fucking mouth shut, you know, about that situation.

And I was afraid.

But then when they did that, I was like, to hell with it, you know?

And then they just came in one day and just took me and moved me out.

Was it helpful?

They were trying to protect your identity?

No, they did protect.

They put me on witness protection.

Did they move you?

They moved me to Minnesota.

What was that like?

Everything had to be changed.

Everything was changed.

And you were 18.

I was like 18, yeah.

What was that whole experience like?

It was crazy.

But thank God I didn't even have to go to really the court because I guess they pled guilty.

I did have to go to court, but I'm saying they pled guilty, so I didn't have to really, you know.

Oh my God, it was crazy.

I guess it was a lot of them and I guess they had killed girls, kidnapped, just horrible stuff.

What was it like living in Minnesota?

How long were you there?

I was there for like eight years.

Oh, really?

Oh, wow.

Did you like living there or?

I liked it.

It was nice.

I got a job.

The first time I ever got a job was in a store, Dayton-Hudson department store, selling papagallo shoes.

Oh, yeah?

Did you enjoy that?

I liked it.

Then I said, I want to move the cameras.

I just wanted to, you know, but then I learned, and this is terrible too, how to steal from there.

She was like, someone comes in and then, you know, you just don't give them the receipt.

You know, just stuff like that, which is terrible.

Yeah, we were trying to get by.

Were you still able to communicate with your family and everything?

You would have to go to the building, the federal building, and make a phone call from there.

They didn't have anything like you had to call your family only from there.

And how did it, usually witness protection doesn't end, but it did with you.

It really did.

What happened?

I feel like that's not a comic, right?

I started dancing in clubs and stuff like that, and you know, just getting involved with all kinds of people.

I got arrested one day for something crazy stuff.

And they were supposed to be on a witness protection.

Now we have nothing to do with it anymore.

You know, they're not going to help me anymore.

But I don't blame them.

I didn't need their help anyway.

Yeah.

You're like, you get great and free to go.

Like, you know, I don't want to live in Minnesota anymore.

You know, whatever.

I liked Minnesota, though.

I really did.

But it was so cold.

Yeah.

Yeah, definitely.

And I danced there.

Then I started dancing there in Minnesota as well and working.

Everything was good.

And then I met a pimp.

I went to get out of Minnesota.

He said he could go to New York and how there's so much money and blah, blah, blah.

So I went with him.

He had other girls and they were really nice.

I met them.

They were fun.

You know, we worked, went to Florida and just, yeah, he traveled to Florida.

Then we went back.

We went to different places.

And then it was like a family, too.

So it was kind of an OK experience temporarily for me, you know?

Yeah, he was, he beat the hell out of a girl because she did something.

He beat her with a hanger, then made her sit in salt water.

And I was like, and you watch this, you know, this is like, you know, I was like, oh, my God.

And then he took y'all to New York.

And then once I was in New York, I'm like, I'm staying.

Yeah.

I don't need this guy anywhere, bye.

That was a nightmare.

But I got rid of him.

But I had his baby too.

Yeah, I had his baby too.

That was the second son.

And how was trying to leave him?

It was horrible.

Yeah, he was chasing me.

Just horrible.

Beat me up a couple of times.

There was like 90 calls.

They said on 911, me screaming.

I ran into a store.

I'm running from the guy in the store.

It was crazy.

But I finally got rid of him.

I just was like, that's it.

You're listening to Madam, a podcast about Julie Moya & NYC's Most Famous Brothel.

For show notes, links, and more about the show, visit us on the web at madampod.com.

That's madampod.com.

If you like what you hear and you want to support the show, you can subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/madampod.

Our patrons will have access to bonus content and will get a shout out on a future episode.

And now, back to the show.

We were working outside, like on the strolls and, you know, salmon and just different hotels, blah, blah, blah.

And after that, I got rid of him.

So I was on my own and doing my own thing.

And it was through, was it House Angels?

The first job I worked at, yeah, in call.

I loved it, but it was horrible.

It was like working outside almost.

It was that fun running around thing inside.

It was like 40 bucks to get in, went to the house.

And then whatever you got from the guy, yeah, but it was a dump.

The mattresses were on the floors and you had to bring your own sheets if you wanted clean sheets.

And it was very, like, you know, dingy.

And I was like, I'm going to do better than this.

So I started working to that place, that place where the mob had over on 60th and 1st.

Alibaba's, yeah, it was like a piano bar.

I looked at him still, when we talked before, his clothes and all that, but he was acknowledged.

All the phones in there were tapped, even the telephone booths outside you couldn't use because of that.

Yeah, it was crazy.

But then, you know, got a job and, you know, in-call places, a couple of in-call places, 1005 Second Avenue and 1002nd Avenue, two different places, right?

One was this French woman named Joyce, and then across the street was the same owners from the Hells Ender guy, they had 1002nd Avenue, it was a bigger, it was better this time, it was a better place.

Then I met this guy that was a big drug dealer from South America.

I met him, and he paid me not to work.

And I married him, and for a few years, I did not work, I was with him.

He didn't speak English hardly when I met him.

He came into the place, you know, where the friend brought him in, right, to the one, the Hells Angel, and he came in, and his friend had brought him there, and he had given us a few grams of coke and stuff like that.

And then right away, I don't know what it was, you know, you get this click between each other, and we had the click.

Although his English was so horrible.

And he lived right in my neighborhood, too.

I was on 94th, and he was in the 90s as well.

And so he came over, and I had my little baby there at the time, and he came over and we were trying to talk, and then I thought he was gay because he starts saying, because I love him, and I tell him, and he was talking, because his English was messed up.

So I'm like, damn, I don't think he likes women, but he was saying that because his English was messed up.

And you go like, darn.

His English was messed up.

And then I realized, you know, that, and then we liked each other a lot.

Then he learned English through me, and I learned a little Spanish, not much, but, you know, back and forth.

And then one day he was like, do you want to get married?

And I'm like, sure.

And we went to City Hall.

Wow, like immediately after?

No, you know, during that time, we just went to City Hall.

And then he couldn't get papers for me, though, so I knew that, because I'm not like that.

He couldn't, so it wasn't for that.

And then when he got a certain amount of money, we wanted to retire and we moved to Argentina.

And I didn't like Argentina after a while.

It was okay at first, but then it was in like 1990, 91, the women there were not treated the same.

You couldn't even go to a club by yourself.

Really?

You can't do anything, you can't go anywhere.

I was in Mendoza.

Then I had to try to get by over there in Spanish.

And I remember I went to a restaurant and said, Para mí?

And I made the food left.

I was trying to get food to go.

Oh, okay, great.

I mean, they got it.

And it was like, you know, yeah, at first it was fun.

And then it was like, no.

Well, because you were like kind of pulled away from your community, all these people that you loved and partied with.

Because the way you're women and we were someone who is all about your freedom too.

I told him I wanted a mean coat.

Now I don't wear furs like that, but I wanted a mean coat.

He's like, I got like 20 leather coats for that stupid mean coat.

So I snuck out and turned dates and got the coat.

What?

Right his back.

And he had money, but he was sometimes cheap, you know what I mean?

So I told him I was going to go home to my son's birthday.

I just did not go back.

And he kept calling me.

He even came over from Argentina.

He came over and he offered me, I'll buy you a brand new white Mercedes.

I'll do this, I'll do that, you know?

And I was like, no, I don't want to.

I don't want to go back there.

He begged me to go back, but I just did not want to go back.

So it wasn't worth it for you?

No, I just, like I said, I just don't want it to be there.

I just didn't want to be there anymore.

It was too lonely and stuff.

I said I'd rather live in Alabama.

Hi all.

We're back with another quick interruption.

Just to let you know that for this episode, we really encourage you to check out the show notes on the website, which is madampod.com, because we've got some incredible photos up there from Julie's life that she has allowed us to share.

These include some photos from her early life, including some with her mother, some links to some news articles that reference some of the stuff that Julie talks about in this episode.

And I also want to take a moment to ask our listeners if you enjoy what you hear and if you like the show, to please take a moment to rate and review us so that others can find out about the show.

Give us a five star on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Please share it with everyone.

We put a lot of work into this show and we'd really love for more people to hear it.

I want to give you a little preview of what we will be diving into next episode.

We're going to be talking about stories related to clients in particular.

Some of them funny, some of them about the dangers of working in this business.

Very real.

And for those of you who are into water sports, definitely tune in.

This is a very kink friendly episode.

This is a very kink friendly episode.

All right, well, let's hear the last part of this conversation between you and Julie.

Thanks a lot for listening.

And you came back to the States, did you come right back to New York or?

Right back to New York, yeah.

And then I started to move the coat because I knew the Colombian people that he knew.

And I made the, and I did it, I did something so stupid.

I did it as a favor and sold three kilos to an, I didn't know it, that guy was, you know, had been arrested and they had made a deal.

And I went into a store and we were going to open up an after hours and I wanted to just like let him see that I had people that I could do, you know, that I was real.

And he said, can you get like a couple kilos?

And I'm like, sure.

And I brought three kilos and was arrested.

Oh my God.

I only bought one kilo, but we had, you know, conspired for three kilos.

So, yeah, they charged me for three kilos.

I was like, oh my God.

I couldn't believe it, you know.

For sure.

Yeah, it was crazy.

And we were supposed to open up an after hours and he was, you know, the couple, there was two guys and the guy named Don Pedro.

Don Pedro was a rat.

He's the one I found that had been arrested.

And he had like some grocery bodega store on 111st.

And I felt like it was funny that he wanted me to go to that store.

And so the Colombian lady sent me with her son, you know, with me.

And he told me, listen, those are fed cars outside.

And I'm like, oh, they're not.

I don't know these people.

And it was...

Yeah, so when I went back like behind the register, like back into like a little store room, and the guy took the knife out, cut it and said, to bueno, and boom.

And they came, guns and craziness.

Oh my God.

Yeah, it was awful.

That's crazy.

So that was your first time going to prison.

Yeah, that's it.

And then after that, I mean, you know, that was, I had to get through all that.

And that was horrible.

But I got on a five, half a million dollar bail that time.

Because in the feds, you know, my family put the houses up, their homes and stuff like that.

My grandmother, my sister and my aunts.

But you know, I got through that, got out of prison for that and whatever.

And then I was like, I'm going back to this other business that I knew.

I didn't really...

Oh, the DEA agent that arrested me, he goes, why don't you become a ma'am or something like that?

You know, you're killing people with these drugs.

So I was like, huh.

They're like, all right, well, I'll think about it.

You know, and I really didn't, because I was...

But later on, you know, that would come up, you know?

Yeah.

It was crazy.

Madam is produced by Ben Sky.

Your host has been Em Vaughn.

You can subscribe to Em's newsletter where she writes about her experiences as a sex worker at emvaughn.me.

That's E-M-V-A-U-G-H-N dot M-E.

And of course, the star of our show is the Madam herself, Julie Moya.

Thanks for listening.

We'll see you next time.