‘Mayflower Madam’ : N.Y. Socialite Pleads Guilty to Sex Counts

Sydney Biddle Barrows, the so-called “Mayflower Madam,” pleaded guilty Friday to promoting prostitution in an arrangement that will keep secret her controversial list of clients.

“Handling things this way was the only way I could protect the women and my clients,” the 32-year-old Barrows, a socialite whose ancestors came over on the Mayflower, said.

At a 10-minute hearing held after more than a week of negotiations between prosecutors and defense attorneys, Barrows pleaded guilty to fourth-degree promotion of prostitution, a misdemeanor. She was fined $5,000 and was released.

“I’m glad it’s over, and I look forward to getting on with my life,” she said while raising a glass of Champagne at a press conference at a restaurant after the court session.

State Supreme Court Justice Brenda Soloff said Barrows will receive a “certificate of relief from civil disabilities,” a guarantee that the district attorney will not sue to attach assets earned from any illegal activities.

Tantamount to ‘Mini-Pardon’

A news release distributed by Barrows’ representatives called the certificate a “mini-pardon” because she is now free to travel and engage in lawful businesses.

Law enforcement officials said Barrows ran an orderly business, sending women out with credit-card machines and keeping books that listed her high-powered clients and their sexual preferences.

The guilty plea and fine arrangement mean that the identities of Barrows’ customers, who ranged from wealthy Arabs to business VIPs, will remain secret. Their names were listed in nine volumes seized in Barrows’ Manhattan town house headquarters last October.

At one point during the hearing, the courtroom broke into laughter when the judge asked if Barrows realized that her guilty plea could mean a sentence including “a period of prostitution.” She meant to say “a period of probation.”