Nevada Brothel Sold for $18 Million
The nation’s largest legal brothel has been sold for $18 million by the man who pioneered Nevada’s move into legalized prostitution.
The Mustang Ranch brothel will be turned over to Strong Point Inc., a Southern California company, by Joe and Sally Conforte, who say they owe the government as much as $10 million in back taxes.
The Confortes had been asking as much as $25 million for the brothel, actually two buildings with a total of 108 bedrooms, and 400 acres of adjacent desert off Interstate 80, about 10 miles east of Reno.
In 1960, local authorities burned down a forerunner to the Mustang, claiming that it was a public nuisance. Conforte later won Storey County approval to run his business.
Most Nevada counties, with the exception of Reno and Las Vegas, have since licensed prostitution in about three dozen brothels.
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