Secrets of the Bunny Ranch (2025) s01e06 Episode Script
Too Close to the Sun
1
He was so proud of Cathouse,
it hurt him deeply
when it was pulled
from the air.
Without Cathouse to
make him relevant,
he became more
and more desperate
to get into the media.
He was upset about the
county upping the rates
for licensing,
and he got a suggestion,
"Well, why don't you run for
office and solve that?"
If Donald Trump
can do it, I can do it.
Hi, I'm Dennis Hof,
and I'm running
for District 36.
And I thought
he's just, you know,
looking for free publicity.
Dennis Hof is our
new Republican.
Man, his ego was
through the roof.
He survived off of
very little sleep.
He exhausted himself
and his staff
running for office.
He had won the primary,
so he thought he was
totally untouchable.
Dennis has raped
so many women
who haven't reported
their crimes.
But when Dennis was
running for office,
several women
did come forward.
The new girl.
She went to the hospital
and got a rape kit.
And the state police
got involved.
Mr. Hof is extremely
rough with her.
The police found out that
Dennis was sending women
on these illegal
out dates.
If Mr. Hof is found
guilty of these crimes,
he's not coming home.
He's gonna die in prison.
[moody pop]
You put me under
the covers. ♪
For all the world
to see. ♪
But I never recovered. ♪
You never
cared about me. ♪
So now you're
being uncovered. ♪
I kept all
the receipts. ♪
You and all
of the others. ♪
Under a fantasy. ♪
♪
♪
I was the madam
for Dennis Hof's
southern operations
which included
Love Ranch Vegas.
Love Ranch Vegas
is in the middle
of the desert.
There's nothing out there.
And the clients
go there for safety.
And anonymity.
How'd that work out
for Lamar Odom?
♪
[News] Former NBA star,
Lamar Odom,
is fighting for his life
after he was found
unresponsive at
a Nevada brothel.
♪
♪
[Sonja] I was on
a hiatus during
the Lamar Odom incident.
When I got back to the
Love Ranch Vegas
it was a
a shattered brothel.
There were no
customers coming.
Dennis was very upset.
Most of the women left.
Business just died,
and I couldn't figure out,
how can they keep
the lights on?
♪
[Commissioners]
I pledge allegiance to
the flag of the
United States of America.
♪
The Board of County
commissioners are the ones
who create laws
for the county.
Item 16,
Town of Pahrump.
Resolution 20-17-02.
We vote on laws,
we vote on policy.
We also oversaw
liquor licenses
and brothels.
Are there any corrections?
If not, then we'll
attain a motion.
When I saw it on the
on the local news
that Lamar Odom OD'd,
that really kind of
keyed me into,
we're not watching the
brothels real well, guys.
And I expect people who
have privilege licenses
to follow law,
follow the rules.
So, I got the
other commissioners
to agree that we
need to, like,
update our
brothel ordinance.
We need to, like,
raise the fees.
We need to make sure
they're being checked on.
That, you know,
the properties are
safe for customers.
Hof and his acolytes
came to a meeting
and screamed and yelled.
[Commissioner]
Quiet, Dennis.
Dennis, Dennis,
you want to talk,
come up here and
speak on the mic.
Behave yourself.
[Dan] What was his problem?
The other brothels
didn't, didn't balk.
But Hof, he was,
he was just incensed.
♪
Around 2016-ish,
Cathouse is essentially
off the air.
HBO, they say that there's
not a demand for it
on television anymore
because people can get
that type of content
elsewhere,
like in streaming,
you know, digital media.
But I really think it's
about HBO solidifying
its brand as a prestige
cable network.
The world of Cathouse
is not consistent with
the types of sort of
high-quality dramas
that HBO was
now known for.
He was so proud
of Cathouse.
It hurt him deeply when
it was pulled from the air
and they are no longer
selling DVDs.
[Sonja] I mean, he's an
admitted narcissist.
Uh, he loved
to be adored.
He loved the spotlight,
he loved money.
And the Cathouse series
gave him all of that.
[DeAnne] After Cathouse,
Dennis had a really
hard time getting
in the, the media.
I mean, the radio shows
didn't want him.
TV shows didn't want him.
It was always the
same old bull [beep]
and nobody
was interested.
So, now without Cathouse
to make him relevant,
he became more
and more desperate
to get into the media.
♪
[Sonja] He was on the phone
while I was there,
and he was upset about
the county upping
the rates for the licensing,
and all of his fees, and
he got a suggestion from the
person on the other end of
the line, "Well, why don't
you run for office and,
and solve that?"
I think it was Tucker Carlson
was on the one that said,
"Dennis, you can't
complain about it unless
if you're willing to do
something about it."
♪
[Dan] In Nevada,
we have an assembly
and we have a senate.
When I heard he was gonna
run for state legislature
and calling himself a
Republican, I thought
he's just, you know,
looking for free publicity,
'cause this
Republican party,
they'll never accept
this pompous
blowhard pimp.
He's a huckster,
he's a conman.
They've gotta see it.
Dennis Hof is our
new Republican.
[applauding]
I want to thank Dennis
for joining the party
and being supportive of
where we're gonna be
going in the future.
[Dan] They didn't see it.
[Sonja] Dennis,
he's not political.
So, he donated equally to
Democrats and Republicans.
But Republicans
have a better shot
where he was running,
so that's why he picked
the Republican party.
♪
[Dennis] I joined
the Republican party.
I've done all
the right things.
They're supporting me.
Hi, I'm Dennis Hof,
and I'm running for
District 36 Assembly.
Dennishof.com.
[Paris] I was a working girl
at Dennis Hof's
Love Ranch Vegas
for 5 years,
and Dennis Hof's
girlfriend.
Dennis and I
got really close
when he started running
for state assembly
in Southern Nevada.
I was by his side during
his whole campaign.
[Sonja] He's got
this big billboard
with his picture on it,
with his dog,
and his horse,
and his ranch,
and he's got a cowboy hat
on with his gun,
and everybody has to go by
and see a picture of him.
And he's getting
all that attention.
He loved people
to love him.
And, with the
Cathouse series
basically off the air
the circles of girls
that were around him
were shrinking.
And this politics
was filling in
the gap for him.
♪
When I found out Dennis Hof
was running for office,
I was angry.
So, I did go in front of the
commissioners to try to
let people know what
type of person he was.
Hi, my name is
Jennifer O'Kane,
and I drove from Battle
Mountain, Nevada to, um,
sit in front of you today.
[Dan] We're in a county
commission meeting, and
Jennifer O'Kane,
at public comment,
came and spoke.
She began to recount
a rape accusation
against Hof.
[Jennifer] I'm gonna
read something to you
so I don't go squirrel.
Ah, so please bear
with me, okay?
[sighing]
Thank you very much
for allowing me
to address you today.
[clearing throat]
[voice breaking] My name
is Jennifer Lynn O'Kane.
[exhaling sharply]
[Dan] She began to recount
a criminal accusation.
As, as the chairman,
you shouldn't
let that go on,
and I turned to the chairman
at the time and told him,
"We really need
to cut her off."
[Commissioner]
J-J-Jennifer. Jennifer?
[Jennifer] Yes, sir?
Having to say in front
of the commissioners,
"I was raped,"
is the most
humiliating thing
you can imagine.
But then to be told
to stop it, I can't even
describe how I felt.
[Commissioner] I know
where you're getting ready
to go to.
I really appreciate it.
Don't leave the building.
Just sit and relax.
[Jennifer] Okay.
[Commissioner]
Again, thank you, Jennifer.
I know where
you're going.
♪
[Commissioner]
Thank you.
[Dan] We knew what she
has to say is important,
but we can't let
her continue.
She needs to go to the
Sheriff and the DA.
And that's what happened.
♪
[Jennifer speaking]
♪
[Jennifer] It was
horrible when I was
a working girl
for Dennis Hof.
So, I told the police
that Dennis Hof raped me.
Dennis Hof had intercourse
with me without a condom.
I gave them all of the
information and told them
how I went to the madam
right afterwards,
and I said,
"He just raped me."
[Jennifer]
[Detective Brainard]
[Jennifer]
[Detective Brainard]
[Jennifer]
[Detective Brainard]
[Jennifer]
[Detective Brainard]
[Jennifer]
[Jennifer] And,
uh, we talked
for a very long time.
They did listen to me.
Every crime
has to have evidence,
even the most emotionally
compelling ones,
like sex assault, especially
in our modern day and age,
where we want to
give the victims
the benefit
of the doubt.
But down the road,
years, days, months later,
to prove sexual assault
can be a challenge.
♪
[Dan]
I felt bad for her,
she had the courage
to come say
what happened to her,
and there was never
a case filed,
that I know of.
[Jennifer] Maybe they didn't
have enough evidence.
And maybe it was a few
years since he raped me,
but I needed to let people
know, yes, he raped me.
He's a monster.
♪
[DeAnne] A woman is an
object to exploit and abuse.
That's what a woman
is to Dennis.
Dennis was well-practiced.
He knew how
to do what he did
and get away with it.
[News] The 71-year-old Hof
denies the allegations,
saying it is a political
ploy to deter him from
pushing forward on his race
for the assembly.
♪
[Sonja] Dennis was inspired
by Donald Trump
because he was
successful.
He also liked the fact
that he was a businessman.
He liked his charisma.
I think though the main
reason he allied himself
with Trump was simply for
pragmatic reasons,
that that's what was
gonna make him win.
♪
The politicians didn't think
Dennis could win
because of the
prostitution affiliation.
People didn't
understand who he was.
They would call him
"the pimp."
[Paris] At the
beginning of the campaign,
Dennis told me,
"You know, Paris,
it's not gonna be easy,
and there's gonna be
a lot of things that are
gonna stand in the way
as well, but if we build up
a strong team
then we can win this."
[News] He considers himself
the Trump of Pahrump.
[Dennis] If Donald Trump
can do it, I can do it.
[Sonja] Dennis's tagline,
"Trump from Pahrump,"
he knew that it
would help him
be able to ride on
Trump's coattails.
Ah, it was catchy.
It almost assured him of
winning in that area
because now people
associated him with Trump.
[Woman] You know,
you've got a new slogan.
It's up on your boards,
and it says,
"Make Nevada
Nevada Again."
[Vernon] He would come in,
do interviews and
he spent a lot of money here
on television advertising,
radio advertising,
because he really
wanted to win
the election.
You'd see him
at Petrack Park.
You'd see him at the
Harvest Festival.
You would see him
everywhere.
Everybody would
come up to him,
"Dennis! Dennis!
How are you doing?"
[Dennis] I know you all
know that I'm rich.
I know you all know
that I'm famous.
I mean, I've spoke
at Oxford University.
I'm a guy that came,
came from a
World War 2 family.
We didn't have any money.
My dad was a mailman,
an honorable man.
I'm just a regular guy.
I have just as much fun
hanging out
in the back of a restaurant
with the staff
as I am in the front
with the owner.
[Vernon] He was so
polite to everybody.
He would just
say hi to anybody, try to
carry on a conversation.
Fantastic guy.
♪
[Dan] Every good conman
comes across as
affable, and
I mean, you're not a
good conman if you don't.
But I could
see through it.
We need to stop him.
♪
[Sonja] There were
a lot of people
that made our livings
in the brothels
that were not excited about
Dennis going into politics
because it's like
poking a hornet's nest.
And Dennis
really enjoyed poking
the hornet's nest.
♪
[Dan] I started in 2017
looking at Dennis'
businesses,
and there were
a lot of violations.
♪
The condition of these
brothels was horrible.
There was really no
maintenance upkeep on them.
They were very old
trailers pushed together.
I had an electrician come
in one day to the Kit Kat,
and he shook
his head and said,
"This whole thing
needs to be replaced
to bring it
up to code."
Dennis refused,
and a few years later,
the Kit Kat
burned down.
[DeAnne] Dennis also
had some safety issues
with the
Love Ranch South.
They were
required to have
a fire marshal
safety inspection.
And Dennis
wouldn't do that
because he couldn't
pass the inspection.
[Dan] The floors need
to be reinforced,
the doors need
to open out.
There's all this stuff
that needs to happen
if you're using them
for commercial use.
And he refused.
♪
By this time,
he's running for office,
so he thought that
we could be bullied.
So, in the meeting
in December,
after I had laid out
to Dennis,
"Look, your brothels are
violating our code.
Oh,
and by the way,
you're late paying
your fees again."
And in our code,
if they don't pay
their fees on time,
you take their license.
Mr. Hof still has failed to
comply, and for that fact,
I make a motion
to deny his
brothel license
on that property.
[Sonja] What a
catastrophe that was.
♪
After the
Lamar Odom incident,
it took me a while
to get us
back up on our feet.
And all of a sudden,
it was closed.
♪
[Paris] I believe it was all
politically motivated.
And it was by 4 out of the
5 county commissioners
because they did not
want him in politics.
[DeAnne] And then the
newspaper article comes out.
♪
[News]
The second woman,
identified as
Diana Grandmaison,
claims she was assaulted by
Hof inside the Bunny Ranch
in Carson City while working
there in June of 2009.
If he decides he wants
to sleep with one of us,
we have to
sleep with him.
So, I had no choice
but to submit.
He's a bad person.
♪
[DeAnne] Dennis has
raped so many women
who haven't reported
their crimes.
But, when Dennis was
running for office,
several women
did come forward.
♪
My name is Theresa Lowe.
I went to the
Love Ranch North
at the time,
and met Dennis Hof.
He was, um,
very charismatic.
Everyone listened to him.
The cashier called me,
and said, "Dennis is
sending the car for you,
please get ready."
I thought, okay
I didn't know
what that meant.
They took me out to
a beautiful ranch
alongside a
mountainside
Walked in the house
"Let's go upstairs."
And he raped me.
♪
[Sonja] When all the
allegations hit the press,
I was not surprised.
He was always good
to me and respectful,
but I don't presume that
he has been that way
to every person.
I saw enough of him
to see a darker side.
[Theresa] And it
was violent, um
Choking me.
Grabbing me by the hair,
no condom.
When it was over,
I was crying.
And the driver said, just,
"It's gonna be alright,
it happens to everybody."
♪
[Paris] When I first
heard of the allegations,
I was fairly upset.
I thought we kind of
were on the same page.
No secrets, no surprises.
So, I talked to
Dennis about it,
and Dennis said
it's not true.
♪
And I realized you
can't help but notice
the timing of these things,
and what's being said
and the motivation
behind them.
[Theresa] It's disgusting
that an owner
gets to do what
he gets to do,
and for him to run for
public office is an insult,
because who can
he rape then?
♪
[Sonja] Dennis never
spoke about
the rape allegations
whatsoever,
and no one would have ever
brought it up to him
without him bringing
it up first.
[Glen] Water off
a duck's back.
Didn't slow him down.
No matter how hard
they tried to get in
Dennis's way,
he always just
came out ahead.
[Sonja] Dennis Hof put the
same energy into his
political campaign
that he did in the houses.
He would sleep
maybe 4, 5 hours
in a 24-hour span.
♪
And he exhausted himself
and his staff
running for office.
[Paris]
He was unstoppable.
There was nothing
that could taint him.
And the more campaigning
that was done,
the more people that were
like, "Oh, this is our guy."
♪
[News] Dennis Hof believes
he'll ride that Trump wave,
even as one of the
country's most
unconventional candidates,
right into office.
[Paris] We're at
the place where we
do all the
Republican meetings.
It was packed full,
and there's people
inside, outside.
Like everyone's just
walking around, pacing.
Nobody can sit still.
And then finally,
the TV
announces the results.
[News] This week, Dennis Hof
is not making headlines
for the brothels he owns,
or the HBO reality show
he starred in,
but for beating out an
established Republican
in Nevada's
primary election.
♪
[Paris] And, I can't even
explain to you
the feeling that
went over that room.
♪
There's a picture of Dennis
when he heard that he won.
It's the most emotion
I've ever seen
captured from Dennis.
It was so amazing.
I was right there with him,
and he just cried,
and he was
just overjoyed.
♪
[Sonja] The rape
allegations
had zero, zero effect
on his campaign.
[DeAnne] When Dennis
won the primary
against
James Oscarson,
man, his ego was
through the roof.
He thought that he
could conquer anything.
[Dan] In July of 2018,
Hof had
complete control of
the Republican party.
He had won the primary,
so he thought he was
totally untouchable.
[Sonja] I totally expected
Dennis to win because
I was seeing
behind the scenes.
I knew how much work
they put into the campaign.
[News] In November,
Hof will face off
against newcomer
Democrat and
school principal,
Lesia Romanov.
The pair making up an
unconventional battle
over Nevada Assembly
District 36.
♪
Nye County
is very right
wing, conservative.
There's a lot of people
here that still carry guns.
They believe in
that freedom of being
an American citizen.
♪
[Dennis] Nevada's about
freedom, low tax,
carry your gun,
drink, gamble,
smoke weed,
and go to a brothel.
Leave us alone.
[Paris] Tucker Carlson
gave Dennis advice,
and it came to a point where
he was talking to Tucker
like almost
every morning.
He was asking, "What do
you think about this?"
And so, Dennis would
take his opinion
into consideration
because they had
a lot of the
same political views.
♪
[Dan] He had charisma.
There's no doubt
about it.
He's charismatic.
But,
politicians follow laws.
And on Labor Day
weekend 2018,
Dennis Hof
broke the law.
♪
♪
There was
this one young woman
who came in to work.
Sarah Drescher.
She was a cute,
little blonde.
She had only been there
a couple days.
I think she just
got on the floor.
♪
But the morning
I was on shift
Dennis called,
said to have the driver
take her to him, that
he was having
breakfast with her.
♪
So she left,
went to see him.
And I was noticing,
I'm like,
it's been like three hours,
and she's not back yet.
I just had a bad feeling.
And three hours later,
she comes walking
through the gate, like,
with her head down,
like, really,
and goes to her room,
and I ask, "Are you okay?"
And she just
waves me off.
This doesn't look good.
The next day,
HR called me.
I told her exactly
what I saw,
and how she acted
when she came back
because apparently
that morning
she went to the hospital
and got a rape kit.
[Detective Tucker]
[Sarah]
[Detective Tucker]
[Sarah]
[Detective Tucker]
[DeAnne] This time,
Dennis
wasn't gonna get
away with it.
♪
So, on
September 2nd, 2018,
a woman does come
forward to level
an allegation of sexual
assault against Dennis Hof.
And the Sheriff's Department
in Carson City responds.
[Detective Tucker]
[Ashton] She's at an area
hospital in northern Nevada,
awaiting what's known
as a sexual assault
response team examination.
[Detective Tucker]
[Sarah]
[Detective Tucker]
[Sarah] Mm-hm, yeah.
[Tucker] Okay.
[Detective Tucker]
[Sarah]
[Ashton] She ends up texting
with Mr. Hof over the phone.
And ultimately being
brought out to his residence.
[Detective Tucker]
[Sarah]
[Detective Tucker]
[Sarah]
[Detective Tucker]
[Sarah]
[Detective Tucker]
[Sarah]
♪
♪
[Ashton] Once there's
an allegation and
you're seeing signs
of sexual assault
♪
[doorbell rings]
[Ashton] And there is the
medical examination that
builds on probable cause
that a crime has occurred.
[knocking]
[Officers]
[Ashton] The location
of that crime
was Mr. Hof's residence.
[Ashton] Investigators
were able to obtain
a search warrant
from a judge.
They wake that judge up
at 2:00 in the morning,
and they get the permission
from the judge
right then and there
on the phone.
♪
♪
And they were able to serve
that search warrant
at Mr. Hof's residence
in northern Nevada.
♪
[Ashton] Investigators
in this case are
going to be looking for
those specific items
that the victim
described.
[Detective Tucker]
[Sarah speaking]
[Detective Tucker]
[Sarah]
[Ashton] So,
these are details that
a victim would remember
and know from having
been in that location from
such a short time before.
That initial statement is
very important to build
a case, a criminal case,
against him.
♪
[Officer]
Here's his .357 round.
[Dennis Hof speaking]
[DeAnne] I've read the
report of the rape
that happened on
Labor Day weekend.
And the story that this young
woman told is the same story
that several women told me
that Dennis did to them.
And these are women who
didn't even know each other.
So, I 100%
believe her.
[Sonja] He choked her.
She said that
she told him no.
And that fits with
my gut instinct
when I first
heard about it. So
Even if she didn't have
the physical evidence,
I would have
believed her.
My opinion.
Dennis has as much
as he wants
when he wants it,
how he wants it.
Why would he do something
that would be
illegal, or cause him
problems of
losing all the licenses
that he has?
♪
[Ashton] During the service
of this search warrant,
the investigators,
they recovered
Mr. Hof's
electronic devices.
For Mr. Hof,
the text messages are
what the investigators
really want to get.
But ultimately, you're gonna
find other evidence of crime
when you get into
criminals' phones.
And the investigator said
this could really change
things for Mr. Hof because
if Mr. Hof is found guilty
of these crimes,
he's not coming home.
He's gonna die in prison.
[Ashton] When investigators
serve that search warrant
at Mr. Hof's residence,
they recovered
the phone and his
computer equipment,
like his iPad.
[DeAnne] So, that's how the
police found out that Dennis
was sending women on
these illegal out dates.
An out date is
a euphemism
for having the woman
meet you in a
hotel room or somewhere
off the property,
or even outside the
state of Nevada,
which strictly
was forbidden.
[Sonja] Some of the biggest
high rollers of all
frequently are
on out dates,
they don't even
go to the house.
They can get booked without
even getting near it.
[Ashton] So, Mr. Hof,
probably very nervous
once those phones
and the iPad were taken,
because once you get
into the device,
you start to find
other crimes
that he may be
engaging in,
bringing people over
state lines to engage in
prostitution, sending girls
from the brothel
out into parts of the state
where it's illegal.
[Sonja] Here's the thing
about narcissists.
They don't
acknowledge
failure or defeat.
So, the whole rape thing
that was looming over him
it just didn't exist.
You don't
acknowledge things
that you don't like
in your world.
♪
When the
allegations came out,
Dennis was like,
"Okay, we've been here
campaigning for 4 months,
shut it down.
There's no need for
you to stay here.
Let's go home."
I was going to be
with my kids.
He was gonna go prepare
for his birthday party.
♪
[Sonja]
Dennis's birthdays,
he treated them like
national holidays.
And it was at all the
different brothels.
He invited everybody,
so he got to feel
very important.
♪
♪
I went to his
birthday party,
which was held
at The Nugget.
♪
They're all celebrating
his birthday
and his political
campaign.
♪
[Paris] He had got a suite
for me at the Flamingo,
and I wasn't
able to make it.
I was like, "Dennis,
I'm, I'm really sick.
And I'm gonna try
to come out
the next day or two."
He asked me a
couple of times
if I was sure I didn't want
to come, and I was like,
that's weird,
Dennis only asks once.
I didn't think
anything of it.
[Alice] The day
after the party,
I was on my way
to the Ranch,
and I got a call from
one of my colleagues,
and he goes,
"Alice, where are you?"
I'm like, "I'm on the road,"
and he goes,
"Pull over or something."
I'm like,
"What the [beep] is going on?
Tell me right now."
[Sonja]
I was in Tennessee,
and a reporter
called me,
and they said, "Is the news
about Dennis true?"
And I said,
"Well, um, it depends.
What news are you
talking about?"
♪
[News] Dennis Hof was
found unresponsive,
not breathing,
at his Love Ranch brothel
near Las Vegas
this morning.
The 72-year-old Hof was the
Republican candidate this
year in a heavily Republican
state legislative district.
♪
This guy had been
my friend for 25 years,
on the bed, you know,
stiff, you know, cold,
eyes at half mast,
it's like, "What the heck?"
[Vernon] The night
before he died,
I get to his birthday party,
the room is packed,
there's 300 people
in this room,
and I'm videotaping him.
And so, I
I ask him, I said,
"How do you feel?
What's going on?"
He goes, "I feel great!"
[Dennis] We started out
five days ago.
We've been partying and
we're gonna keep it going.
My birthday party
just keeps going.
We do it for
a whole month.
[Sonja] And they go back to
the Love Ranch Vegas.
He had his suite there
at the Love Ranch
and he went
to sleep.
[DeAnne]
The next morning,
Ron Jeremy
goes to see Dennis.
♪
[Paris] Ron, um,
initially found him.
And I think Ron was
probably in denial.
And, to the point where he
needed somebody to
verify that this was
really happening.
[Ron] People just love
the living daylights
out of the guy.
♪
[Ashton] The Nye County
Sheriff's Department
responds to the scene where
Mr. Hof is found dead.
[News] At this time,
detectives and deputies
are on scene conducting
an investigation.
[Ashton] And ultimately,
a medical examiner
concludes that
Mr. Hof passed away
of basically a heart attack
in his sleep.
I was at home
when I learned that
Dennis had died,
in the very same bed
that Lamar
overdosed on.
[Paris] [quietly crying]
[Shonda]
Some girls cried.
Some girls celebrated
in silence
'cause they
didn't like him.
It was mixed
emotions all over.
My personal emotions
was I was in shock.
[Sonja] I couldn't believe
that he was dead
'cause we had just talked
to him the night before.
[Paris] I just never wanted
him to die alone because
he deserved
better than that,
and he died alone.
♪
[DeAnne] My reaction?
It wasn't happiness or
joy or anything like that.
It was relief.
Because I knew
he wasn't going to hurt
other women anymore.
♪
[Ashton] Ultimately,
with Mr. Hof deceased,
the criminal investigation
stops because
there's no body to bring in
front of a judge and a jury
to hold him accountable
to the crimes.
And so, unfortunately,
for the victim,
she never got
that closure
through the criminal
investigation.
[Shonda] I felt
awful for her.
She never saw justice.
♪
Dennis Hof was just
another millionaire
getting his way
with everyone.
[Jennifer] After years,
and years, and years
of trying to get
this man in jail
He's dead.
I will never
ever, ever
have justice.
Ever.
[News] I spoke with the
Secretary of State's Office
this afternoon, and really,
his death doesn't change
that much for
the election process.
Nevada law says a notice of
the candidate's death
will be posted at
each polling place
where his name
appears on the ballot,
but Hof will stay
on the ballot.
People still will be
able to vote for him.
♪
[Paris] I drove down to
Southern Nevada
for the election.
I wanted to see through
what we started.
And it was definitely
a different feel
than the first time around.
So, at the table
up front is myself,
and then we have Zack
over here, and
we get the results.
♪
And Dennis wins
by a landslide.
A bittersweet
moment it was.
You almost felt
ripped off for him.
I knew
he was gonna die.
He had bad health.
The man was a diabetic,
he was limping around.
He wasn't taking
care of himself,
but there were rumors going
around about his death,
that he was poisoned or
someone murdered him.
His death was
very questionable.
And they thought so
in Vegas because
they kept the body for
quite a long time because
they felt like something
was wrong with this,
but they couldn't
pinpoint anything
so they had to
release the body.
♪
[Paris] Maybe I'm wrong,
I hope that I'm wrong,
but for them to all of
a sudden say that
he died from a
heart attack?
I don't believe it.
I don't.
[Jennifer]
Good riddance?
But he also died in
a very weird way.
I really feel like
it was staged.
I really feel, um
that he got dropped
something, finally.
♪
[Alice] Much in the same way
that his birthday
was this crazy,
grand event
so too was his death!
Like, this man did not
do anything small!
He lived life
tremendously large,
and definitely went out
with a bang too.
♪
♪
His legacy is that
he revolutionized
the legal brothel industry.
♪
[Dennis] I'm the new
breed of brothel owner.
[Amy] He took it
over by storm.
He put it in everyone's
living rooms.
He took us from
guilt and shame
to glamour and fame.
HBO and Dennis Hof
found a way
to make a softcore porn
and market it as
a documentary.
But what was true,
that sleazebag
on Cathouse.
That was Dennis'
core nature.
That's really
who he was.
♪
[Bekah] Dennis,
in my opinion,
was a vile, disgusting
human being,
but he was very
charismatic,
like many
manipulators are.
He knew how to sell.
He definitely had that
used car salesman
kind of vibe.
Women are just
commodities.
You know, I think when
someone pays you for
your body, you cease
to be a human to them.
♪
I tried up until
right before he died
to get him to
respect me.
I wanted Dennis
to see me as
somewhat of an equal,
like I had a brain.
Not just a body.
♪
[Sonja] Dennis Hof's legacy
is extremely mixed.
He wanted to be on the
map in the sex industry.
He wanted to be
a household name.
He wanted his brothels
to stand out
and be shining beacons
of how you can
uplift the sex industry.
He wanted all of that.
♪
[Sonja] He didn't
get all of that.
♪
We live in a
capitalist system in which
buying and selling is the
nature of this system.
And when it involves buying
and selling people,
people's images,
the entertainment of people,
all of those things
involve moral compromise
to the extent that
my images
recruited people
who were then
damaged by their
experience there.
I'm guilty.
[Taina] That day will come,
and we will be
ashamed of
what we were promoting
as entertainment,
when in fact it was
just abject
human rights abuses
that were happening
with impunity.
♪
He was so proud of Cathouse,
it hurt him deeply
when it was pulled
from the air.
Without Cathouse to
make him relevant,
he became more
and more desperate
to get into the media.
He was upset about the
county upping the rates
for licensing,
and he got a suggestion,
"Well, why don't you run for
office and solve that?"
If Donald Trump
can do it, I can do it.
Hi, I'm Dennis Hof,
and I'm running
for District 36.
And I thought
he's just, you know,
looking for free publicity.
Dennis Hof is our
new Republican.
Man, his ego was
through the roof.
He survived off of
very little sleep.
He exhausted himself
and his staff
running for office.
He had won the primary,
so he thought he was
totally untouchable.
Dennis has raped
so many women
who haven't reported
their crimes.
But when Dennis was
running for office,
several women
did come forward.
The new girl.
She went to the hospital
and got a rape kit.
And the state police
got involved.
Mr. Hof is extremely
rough with her.
The police found out that
Dennis was sending women
on these illegal
out dates.
If Mr. Hof is found
guilty of these crimes,
he's not coming home.
He's gonna die in prison.
[moody pop]
You put me under
the covers. ♪
For all the world
to see. ♪
But I never recovered. ♪
You never
cared about me. ♪
So now you're
being uncovered. ♪
I kept all
the receipts. ♪
You and all
of the others. ♪
Under a fantasy. ♪
♪
♪
I was the madam
for Dennis Hof's
southern operations
which included
Love Ranch Vegas.
Love Ranch Vegas
is in the middle
of the desert.
There's nothing out there.
And the clients
go there for safety.
And anonymity.
How'd that work out
for Lamar Odom?
♪
[News] Former NBA star,
Lamar Odom,
is fighting for his life
after he was found
unresponsive at
a Nevada brothel.
♪
♪
[Sonja] I was on
a hiatus during
the Lamar Odom incident.
When I got back to the
Love Ranch Vegas
it was a
a shattered brothel.
There were no
customers coming.
Dennis was very upset.
Most of the women left.
Business just died,
and I couldn't figure out,
how can they keep
the lights on?
♪
[Commissioners]
I pledge allegiance to
the flag of the
United States of America.
♪
The Board of County
commissioners are the ones
who create laws
for the county.
Item 16,
Town of Pahrump.
Resolution 20-17-02.
We vote on laws,
we vote on policy.
We also oversaw
liquor licenses
and brothels.
Are there any corrections?
If not, then we'll
attain a motion.
When I saw it on the
on the local news
that Lamar Odom OD'd,
that really kind of
keyed me into,
we're not watching the
brothels real well, guys.
And I expect people who
have privilege licenses
to follow law,
follow the rules.
So, I got the
other commissioners
to agree that we
need to, like,
update our
brothel ordinance.
We need to, like,
raise the fees.
We need to make sure
they're being checked on.
That, you know,
the properties are
safe for customers.
Hof and his acolytes
came to a meeting
and screamed and yelled.
[Commissioner]
Quiet, Dennis.
Dennis, Dennis,
you want to talk,
come up here and
speak on the mic.
Behave yourself.
[Dan] What was his problem?
The other brothels
didn't, didn't balk.
But Hof, he was,
he was just incensed.
♪
Around 2016-ish,
Cathouse is essentially
off the air.
HBO, they say that there's
not a demand for it
on television anymore
because people can get
that type of content
elsewhere,
like in streaming,
you know, digital media.
But I really think it's
about HBO solidifying
its brand as a prestige
cable network.
The world of Cathouse
is not consistent with
the types of sort of
high-quality dramas
that HBO was
now known for.
He was so proud
of Cathouse.
It hurt him deeply when
it was pulled from the air
and they are no longer
selling DVDs.
[Sonja] I mean, he's an
admitted narcissist.
Uh, he loved
to be adored.
He loved the spotlight,
he loved money.
And the Cathouse series
gave him all of that.
[DeAnne] After Cathouse,
Dennis had a really
hard time getting
in the, the media.
I mean, the radio shows
didn't want him.
TV shows didn't want him.
It was always the
same old bull [beep]
and nobody
was interested.
So, now without Cathouse
to make him relevant,
he became more
and more desperate
to get into the media.
♪
[Sonja] He was on the phone
while I was there,
and he was upset about
the county upping
the rates for the licensing,
and all of his fees, and
he got a suggestion from the
person on the other end of
the line, "Well, why don't
you run for office and,
and solve that?"
I think it was Tucker Carlson
was on the one that said,
"Dennis, you can't
complain about it unless
if you're willing to do
something about it."
♪
[Dan] In Nevada,
we have an assembly
and we have a senate.
When I heard he was gonna
run for state legislature
and calling himself a
Republican, I thought
he's just, you know,
looking for free publicity,
'cause this
Republican party,
they'll never accept
this pompous
blowhard pimp.
He's a huckster,
he's a conman.
They've gotta see it.
Dennis Hof is our
new Republican.
[applauding]
I want to thank Dennis
for joining the party
and being supportive of
where we're gonna be
going in the future.
[Dan] They didn't see it.
[Sonja] Dennis,
he's not political.
So, he donated equally to
Democrats and Republicans.
But Republicans
have a better shot
where he was running,
so that's why he picked
the Republican party.
♪
[Dennis] I joined
the Republican party.
I've done all
the right things.
They're supporting me.
Hi, I'm Dennis Hof,
and I'm running for
District 36 Assembly.
Dennishof.com.
[Paris] I was a working girl
at Dennis Hof's
Love Ranch Vegas
for 5 years,
and Dennis Hof's
girlfriend.
Dennis and I
got really close
when he started running
for state assembly
in Southern Nevada.
I was by his side during
his whole campaign.
[Sonja] He's got
this big billboard
with his picture on it,
with his dog,
and his horse,
and his ranch,
and he's got a cowboy hat
on with his gun,
and everybody has to go by
and see a picture of him.
And he's getting
all that attention.
He loved people
to love him.
And, with the
Cathouse series
basically off the air
the circles of girls
that were around him
were shrinking.
And this politics
was filling in
the gap for him.
♪
When I found out Dennis Hof
was running for office,
I was angry.
So, I did go in front of the
commissioners to try to
let people know what
type of person he was.
Hi, my name is
Jennifer O'Kane,
and I drove from Battle
Mountain, Nevada to, um,
sit in front of you today.
[Dan] We're in a county
commission meeting, and
Jennifer O'Kane,
at public comment,
came and spoke.
She began to recount
a rape accusation
against Hof.
[Jennifer] I'm gonna
read something to you
so I don't go squirrel.
Ah, so please bear
with me, okay?
[sighing]
Thank you very much
for allowing me
to address you today.
[clearing throat]
[voice breaking] My name
is Jennifer Lynn O'Kane.
[exhaling sharply]
[Dan] She began to recount
a criminal accusation.
As, as the chairman,
you shouldn't
let that go on,
and I turned to the chairman
at the time and told him,
"We really need
to cut her off."
[Commissioner]
J-J-Jennifer. Jennifer?
[Jennifer] Yes, sir?
Having to say in front
of the commissioners,
"I was raped,"
is the most
humiliating thing
you can imagine.
But then to be told
to stop it, I can't even
describe how I felt.
[Commissioner] I know
where you're getting ready
to go to.
I really appreciate it.
Don't leave the building.
Just sit and relax.
[Jennifer] Okay.
[Commissioner]
Again, thank you, Jennifer.
I know where
you're going.
♪
[Commissioner]
Thank you.
[Dan] We knew what she
has to say is important,
but we can't let
her continue.
She needs to go to the
Sheriff and the DA.
And that's what happened.
♪
[Jennifer speaking]
♪
[Jennifer] It was
horrible when I was
a working girl
for Dennis Hof.
So, I told the police
that Dennis Hof raped me.
Dennis Hof had intercourse
with me without a condom.
I gave them all of the
information and told them
how I went to the madam
right afterwards,
and I said,
"He just raped me."
[Jennifer]
[Detective Brainard]
[Jennifer]
[Detective Brainard]
[Jennifer]
[Detective Brainard]
[Jennifer]
[Detective Brainard]
[Jennifer]
[Jennifer] And,
uh, we talked
for a very long time.
They did listen to me.
Every crime
has to have evidence,
even the most emotionally
compelling ones,
like sex assault, especially
in our modern day and age,
where we want to
give the victims
the benefit
of the doubt.
But down the road,
years, days, months later,
to prove sexual assault
can be a challenge.
♪
[Dan]
I felt bad for her,
she had the courage
to come say
what happened to her,
and there was never
a case filed,
that I know of.
[Jennifer] Maybe they didn't
have enough evidence.
And maybe it was a few
years since he raped me,
but I needed to let people
know, yes, he raped me.
He's a monster.
♪
[DeAnne] A woman is an
object to exploit and abuse.
That's what a woman
is to Dennis.
Dennis was well-practiced.
He knew how
to do what he did
and get away with it.
[News] The 71-year-old Hof
denies the allegations,
saying it is a political
ploy to deter him from
pushing forward on his race
for the assembly.
♪
[Sonja] Dennis was inspired
by Donald Trump
because he was
successful.
He also liked the fact
that he was a businessman.
He liked his charisma.
I think though the main
reason he allied himself
with Trump was simply for
pragmatic reasons,
that that's what was
gonna make him win.
♪
The politicians didn't think
Dennis could win
because of the
prostitution affiliation.
People didn't
understand who he was.
They would call him
"the pimp."
[Paris] At the
beginning of the campaign,
Dennis told me,
"You know, Paris,
it's not gonna be easy,
and there's gonna be
a lot of things that are
gonna stand in the way
as well, but if we build up
a strong team
then we can win this."
[News] He considers himself
the Trump of Pahrump.
[Dennis] If Donald Trump
can do it, I can do it.
[Sonja] Dennis's tagline,
"Trump from Pahrump,"
he knew that it
would help him
be able to ride on
Trump's coattails.
Ah, it was catchy.
It almost assured him of
winning in that area
because now people
associated him with Trump.
[Woman] You know,
you've got a new slogan.
It's up on your boards,
and it says,
"Make Nevada
Nevada Again."
[Vernon] He would come in,
do interviews and
he spent a lot of money here
on television advertising,
radio advertising,
because he really
wanted to win
the election.
You'd see him
at Petrack Park.
You'd see him at the
Harvest Festival.
You would see him
everywhere.
Everybody would
come up to him,
"Dennis! Dennis!
How are you doing?"
[Dennis] I know you all
know that I'm rich.
I know you all know
that I'm famous.
I mean, I've spoke
at Oxford University.
I'm a guy that came,
came from a
World War 2 family.
We didn't have any money.
My dad was a mailman,
an honorable man.
I'm just a regular guy.
I have just as much fun
hanging out
in the back of a restaurant
with the staff
as I am in the front
with the owner.
[Vernon] He was so
polite to everybody.
He would just
say hi to anybody, try to
carry on a conversation.
Fantastic guy.
♪
[Dan] Every good conman
comes across as
affable, and
I mean, you're not a
good conman if you don't.
But I could
see through it.
We need to stop him.
♪
[Sonja] There were
a lot of people
that made our livings
in the brothels
that were not excited about
Dennis going into politics
because it's like
poking a hornet's nest.
And Dennis
really enjoyed poking
the hornet's nest.
♪
[Dan] I started in 2017
looking at Dennis'
businesses,
and there were
a lot of violations.
♪
The condition of these
brothels was horrible.
There was really no
maintenance upkeep on them.
They were very old
trailers pushed together.
I had an electrician come
in one day to the Kit Kat,
and he shook
his head and said,
"This whole thing
needs to be replaced
to bring it
up to code."
Dennis refused,
and a few years later,
the Kit Kat
burned down.
[DeAnne] Dennis also
had some safety issues
with the
Love Ranch South.
They were
required to have
a fire marshal
safety inspection.
And Dennis
wouldn't do that
because he couldn't
pass the inspection.
[Dan] The floors need
to be reinforced,
the doors need
to open out.
There's all this stuff
that needs to happen
if you're using them
for commercial use.
And he refused.
♪
By this time,
he's running for office,
so he thought that
we could be bullied.
So, in the meeting
in December,
after I had laid out
to Dennis,
"Look, your brothels are
violating our code.
Oh,
and by the way,
you're late paying
your fees again."
And in our code,
if they don't pay
their fees on time,
you take their license.
Mr. Hof still has failed to
comply, and for that fact,
I make a motion
to deny his
brothel license
on that property.
[Sonja] What a
catastrophe that was.
♪
After the
Lamar Odom incident,
it took me a while
to get us
back up on our feet.
And all of a sudden,
it was closed.
♪
[Paris] I believe it was all
politically motivated.
And it was by 4 out of the
5 county commissioners
because they did not
want him in politics.
[DeAnne] And then the
newspaper article comes out.
♪
[News]
The second woman,
identified as
Diana Grandmaison,
claims she was assaulted by
Hof inside the Bunny Ranch
in Carson City while working
there in June of 2009.
If he decides he wants
to sleep with one of us,
we have to
sleep with him.
So, I had no choice
but to submit.
He's a bad person.
♪
[DeAnne] Dennis has
raped so many women
who haven't reported
their crimes.
But, when Dennis was
running for office,
several women
did come forward.
♪
My name is Theresa Lowe.
I went to the
Love Ranch North
at the time,
and met Dennis Hof.
He was, um,
very charismatic.
Everyone listened to him.
The cashier called me,
and said, "Dennis is
sending the car for you,
please get ready."
I thought, okay
I didn't know
what that meant.
They took me out to
a beautiful ranch
alongside a
mountainside
Walked in the house
"Let's go upstairs."
And he raped me.
♪
[Sonja] When all the
allegations hit the press,
I was not surprised.
He was always good
to me and respectful,
but I don't presume that
he has been that way
to every person.
I saw enough of him
to see a darker side.
[Theresa] And it
was violent, um
Choking me.
Grabbing me by the hair,
no condom.
When it was over,
I was crying.
And the driver said, just,
"It's gonna be alright,
it happens to everybody."
♪
[Paris] When I first
heard of the allegations,
I was fairly upset.
I thought we kind of
were on the same page.
No secrets, no surprises.
So, I talked to
Dennis about it,
and Dennis said
it's not true.
♪
And I realized you
can't help but notice
the timing of these things,
and what's being said
and the motivation
behind them.
[Theresa] It's disgusting
that an owner
gets to do what
he gets to do,
and for him to run for
public office is an insult,
because who can
he rape then?
♪
[Sonja] Dennis never
spoke about
the rape allegations
whatsoever,
and no one would have ever
brought it up to him
without him bringing
it up first.
[Glen] Water off
a duck's back.
Didn't slow him down.
No matter how hard
they tried to get in
Dennis's way,
he always just
came out ahead.
[Sonja] Dennis Hof put the
same energy into his
political campaign
that he did in the houses.
He would sleep
maybe 4, 5 hours
in a 24-hour span.
♪
And he exhausted himself
and his staff
running for office.
[Paris]
He was unstoppable.
There was nothing
that could taint him.
And the more campaigning
that was done,
the more people that were
like, "Oh, this is our guy."
♪
[News] Dennis Hof believes
he'll ride that Trump wave,
even as one of the
country's most
unconventional candidates,
right into office.
[Paris] We're at
the place where we
do all the
Republican meetings.
It was packed full,
and there's people
inside, outside.
Like everyone's just
walking around, pacing.
Nobody can sit still.
And then finally,
the TV
announces the results.
[News] This week, Dennis Hof
is not making headlines
for the brothels he owns,
or the HBO reality show
he starred in,
but for beating out an
established Republican
in Nevada's
primary election.
♪
[Paris] And, I can't even
explain to you
the feeling that
went over that room.
♪
There's a picture of Dennis
when he heard that he won.
It's the most emotion
I've ever seen
captured from Dennis.
It was so amazing.
I was right there with him,
and he just cried,
and he was
just overjoyed.
♪
[Sonja] The rape
allegations
had zero, zero effect
on his campaign.
[DeAnne] When Dennis
won the primary
against
James Oscarson,
man, his ego was
through the roof.
He thought that he
could conquer anything.
[Dan] In July of 2018,
Hof had
complete control of
the Republican party.
He had won the primary,
so he thought he was
totally untouchable.
[Sonja] I totally expected
Dennis to win because
I was seeing
behind the scenes.
I knew how much work
they put into the campaign.
[News] In November,
Hof will face off
against newcomer
Democrat and
school principal,
Lesia Romanov.
The pair making up an
unconventional battle
over Nevada Assembly
District 36.
♪
Nye County
is very right
wing, conservative.
There's a lot of people
here that still carry guns.
They believe in
that freedom of being
an American citizen.
♪
[Dennis] Nevada's about
freedom, low tax,
carry your gun,
drink, gamble,
smoke weed,
and go to a brothel.
Leave us alone.
[Paris] Tucker Carlson
gave Dennis advice,
and it came to a point where
he was talking to Tucker
like almost
every morning.
He was asking, "What do
you think about this?"
And so, Dennis would
take his opinion
into consideration
because they had
a lot of the
same political views.
♪
[Dan] He had charisma.
There's no doubt
about it.
He's charismatic.
But,
politicians follow laws.
And on Labor Day
weekend 2018,
Dennis Hof
broke the law.
♪
♪
There was
this one young woman
who came in to work.
Sarah Drescher.
She was a cute,
little blonde.
She had only been there
a couple days.
I think she just
got on the floor.
♪
But the morning
I was on shift
Dennis called,
said to have the driver
take her to him, that
he was having
breakfast with her.
♪
So she left,
went to see him.
And I was noticing,
I'm like,
it's been like three hours,
and she's not back yet.
I just had a bad feeling.
And three hours later,
she comes walking
through the gate, like,
with her head down,
like, really,
and goes to her room,
and I ask, "Are you okay?"
And she just
waves me off.
This doesn't look good.
The next day,
HR called me.
I told her exactly
what I saw,
and how she acted
when she came back
because apparently
that morning
she went to the hospital
and got a rape kit.
[Detective Tucker]
[Sarah]
[Detective Tucker]
[Sarah]
[Detective Tucker]
[DeAnne] This time,
Dennis
wasn't gonna get
away with it.
♪
So, on
September 2nd, 2018,
a woman does come
forward to level
an allegation of sexual
assault against Dennis Hof.
And the Sheriff's Department
in Carson City responds.
[Detective Tucker]
[Ashton] She's at an area
hospital in northern Nevada,
awaiting what's known
as a sexual assault
response team examination.
[Detective Tucker]
[Sarah]
[Detective Tucker]
[Sarah] Mm-hm, yeah.
[Tucker] Okay.
[Detective Tucker]
[Sarah]
[Ashton] She ends up texting
with Mr. Hof over the phone.
And ultimately being
brought out to his residence.
[Detective Tucker]
[Sarah]
[Detective Tucker]
[Sarah]
[Detective Tucker]
[Sarah]
[Detective Tucker]
[Sarah]
♪
♪
[Ashton] Once there's
an allegation and
you're seeing signs
of sexual assault
♪
[doorbell rings]
[Ashton] And there is the
medical examination that
builds on probable cause
that a crime has occurred.
[knocking]
[Officers]
[Ashton] The location
of that crime
was Mr. Hof's residence.
[Ashton] Investigators
were able to obtain
a search warrant
from a judge.
They wake that judge up
at 2:00 in the morning,
and they get the permission
from the judge
right then and there
on the phone.
♪
♪
And they were able to serve
that search warrant
at Mr. Hof's residence
in northern Nevada.
♪
[Ashton] Investigators
in this case are
going to be looking for
those specific items
that the victim
described.
[Detective Tucker]
[Sarah speaking]
[Detective Tucker]
[Sarah]
[Ashton] So,
these are details that
a victim would remember
and know from having
been in that location from
such a short time before.
That initial statement is
very important to build
a case, a criminal case,
against him.
♪
[Officer]
Here's his .357 round.
[Dennis Hof speaking]
[DeAnne] I've read the
report of the rape
that happened on
Labor Day weekend.
And the story that this young
woman told is the same story
that several women told me
that Dennis did to them.
And these are women who
didn't even know each other.
So, I 100%
believe her.
[Sonja] He choked her.
She said that
she told him no.
And that fits with
my gut instinct
when I first
heard about it. So
Even if she didn't have
the physical evidence,
I would have
believed her.
My opinion.
Dennis has as much
as he wants
when he wants it,
how he wants it.
Why would he do something
that would be
illegal, or cause him
problems of
losing all the licenses
that he has?
♪
[Ashton] During the service
of this search warrant,
the investigators,
they recovered
Mr. Hof's
electronic devices.
For Mr. Hof,
the text messages are
what the investigators
really want to get.
But ultimately, you're gonna
find other evidence of crime
when you get into
criminals' phones.
And the investigator said
this could really change
things for Mr. Hof because
if Mr. Hof is found guilty
of these crimes,
he's not coming home.
He's gonna die in prison.
[Ashton] When investigators
serve that search warrant
at Mr. Hof's residence,
they recovered
the phone and his
computer equipment,
like his iPad.
[DeAnne] So, that's how the
police found out that Dennis
was sending women on
these illegal out dates.
An out date is
a euphemism
for having the woman
meet you in a
hotel room or somewhere
off the property,
or even outside the
state of Nevada,
which strictly
was forbidden.
[Sonja] Some of the biggest
high rollers of all
frequently are
on out dates,
they don't even
go to the house.
They can get booked without
even getting near it.
[Ashton] So, Mr. Hof,
probably very nervous
once those phones
and the iPad were taken,
because once you get
into the device,
you start to find
other crimes
that he may be
engaging in,
bringing people over
state lines to engage in
prostitution, sending girls
from the brothel
out into parts of the state
where it's illegal.
[Sonja] Here's the thing
about narcissists.
They don't
acknowledge
failure or defeat.
So, the whole rape thing
that was looming over him
it just didn't exist.
You don't
acknowledge things
that you don't like
in your world.
♪
When the
allegations came out,
Dennis was like,
"Okay, we've been here
campaigning for 4 months,
shut it down.
There's no need for
you to stay here.
Let's go home."
I was going to be
with my kids.
He was gonna go prepare
for his birthday party.
♪
[Sonja]
Dennis's birthdays,
he treated them like
national holidays.
And it was at all the
different brothels.
He invited everybody,
so he got to feel
very important.
♪
♪
I went to his
birthday party,
which was held
at The Nugget.
♪
They're all celebrating
his birthday
and his political
campaign.
♪
[Paris] He had got a suite
for me at the Flamingo,
and I wasn't
able to make it.
I was like, "Dennis,
I'm, I'm really sick.
And I'm gonna try
to come out
the next day or two."
He asked me a
couple of times
if I was sure I didn't want
to come, and I was like,
that's weird,
Dennis only asks once.
I didn't think
anything of it.
[Alice] The day
after the party,
I was on my way
to the Ranch,
and I got a call from
one of my colleagues,
and he goes,
"Alice, where are you?"
I'm like, "I'm on the road,"
and he goes,
"Pull over or something."
I'm like,
"What the [beep] is going on?
Tell me right now."
[Sonja]
I was in Tennessee,
and a reporter
called me,
and they said, "Is the news
about Dennis true?"
And I said,
"Well, um, it depends.
What news are you
talking about?"
♪
[News] Dennis Hof was
found unresponsive,
not breathing,
at his Love Ranch brothel
near Las Vegas
this morning.
The 72-year-old Hof was the
Republican candidate this
year in a heavily Republican
state legislative district.
♪
This guy had been
my friend for 25 years,
on the bed, you know,
stiff, you know, cold,
eyes at half mast,
it's like, "What the heck?"
[Vernon] The night
before he died,
I get to his birthday party,
the room is packed,
there's 300 people
in this room,
and I'm videotaping him.
And so, I
I ask him, I said,
"How do you feel?
What's going on?"
He goes, "I feel great!"
[Dennis] We started out
five days ago.
We've been partying and
we're gonna keep it going.
My birthday party
just keeps going.
We do it for
a whole month.
[Sonja] And they go back to
the Love Ranch Vegas.
He had his suite there
at the Love Ranch
and he went
to sleep.
[DeAnne]
The next morning,
Ron Jeremy
goes to see Dennis.
♪
[Paris] Ron, um,
initially found him.
And I think Ron was
probably in denial.
And, to the point where he
needed somebody to
verify that this was
really happening.
[Ron] People just love
the living daylights
out of the guy.
♪
[Ashton] The Nye County
Sheriff's Department
responds to the scene where
Mr. Hof is found dead.
[News] At this time,
detectives and deputies
are on scene conducting
an investigation.
[Ashton] And ultimately,
a medical examiner
concludes that
Mr. Hof passed away
of basically a heart attack
in his sleep.
I was at home
when I learned that
Dennis had died,
in the very same bed
that Lamar
overdosed on.
[Paris] [quietly crying]
[Shonda]
Some girls cried.
Some girls celebrated
in silence
'cause they
didn't like him.
It was mixed
emotions all over.
My personal emotions
was I was in shock.
[Sonja] I couldn't believe
that he was dead
'cause we had just talked
to him the night before.
[Paris] I just never wanted
him to die alone because
he deserved
better than that,
and he died alone.
♪
[DeAnne] My reaction?
It wasn't happiness or
joy or anything like that.
It was relief.
Because I knew
he wasn't going to hurt
other women anymore.
♪
[Ashton] Ultimately,
with Mr. Hof deceased,
the criminal investigation
stops because
there's no body to bring in
front of a judge and a jury
to hold him accountable
to the crimes.
And so, unfortunately,
for the victim,
she never got
that closure
through the criminal
investigation.
[Shonda] I felt
awful for her.
She never saw justice.
♪
Dennis Hof was just
another millionaire
getting his way
with everyone.
[Jennifer] After years,
and years, and years
of trying to get
this man in jail
He's dead.
I will never
ever, ever
have justice.
Ever.
[News] I spoke with the
Secretary of State's Office
this afternoon, and really,
his death doesn't change
that much for
the election process.
Nevada law says a notice of
the candidate's death
will be posted at
each polling place
where his name
appears on the ballot,
but Hof will stay
on the ballot.
People still will be
able to vote for him.
♪
[Paris] I drove down to
Southern Nevada
for the election.
I wanted to see through
what we started.
And it was definitely
a different feel
than the first time around.
So, at the table
up front is myself,
and then we have Zack
over here, and
we get the results.
♪
And Dennis wins
by a landslide.
A bittersweet
moment it was.
You almost felt
ripped off for him.
I knew
he was gonna die.
He had bad health.
The man was a diabetic,
he was limping around.
He wasn't taking
care of himself,
but there were rumors going
around about his death,
that he was poisoned or
someone murdered him.
His death was
very questionable.
And they thought so
in Vegas because
they kept the body for
quite a long time because
they felt like something
was wrong with this,
but they couldn't
pinpoint anything
so they had to
release the body.
♪
[Paris] Maybe I'm wrong,
I hope that I'm wrong,
but for them to all of
a sudden say that
he died from a
heart attack?
I don't believe it.
I don't.
[Jennifer]
Good riddance?
But he also died in
a very weird way.
I really feel like
it was staged.
I really feel, um
that he got dropped
something, finally.
♪
[Alice] Much in the same way
that his birthday
was this crazy,
grand event
so too was his death!
Like, this man did not
do anything small!
He lived life
tremendously large,
and definitely went out
with a bang too.
♪
♪
His legacy is that
he revolutionized
the legal brothel industry.
♪
[Dennis] I'm the new
breed of brothel owner.
[Amy] He took it
over by storm.
He put it in everyone's
living rooms.
He took us from
guilt and shame
to glamour and fame.
HBO and Dennis Hof
found a way
to make a softcore porn
and market it as
a documentary.
But what was true,
that sleazebag
on Cathouse.
That was Dennis'
core nature.
That's really
who he was.
♪
[Bekah] Dennis,
in my opinion,
was a vile, disgusting
human being,
but he was very
charismatic,
like many
manipulators are.
He knew how to sell.
He definitely had that
used car salesman
kind of vibe.
Women are just
commodities.
You know, I think when
someone pays you for
your body, you cease
to be a human to them.
♪
I tried up until
right before he died
to get him to
respect me.
I wanted Dennis
to see me as
somewhat of an equal,
like I had a brain.
Not just a body.
♪
[Sonja] Dennis Hof's legacy
is extremely mixed.
He wanted to be on the
map in the sex industry.
He wanted to be
a household name.
He wanted his brothels
to stand out
and be shining beacons
of how you can
uplift the sex industry.
He wanted all of that.
♪
[Sonja] He didn't
get all of that.
♪
We live in a
capitalist system in which
buying and selling is the
nature of this system.
And when it involves buying
and selling people,
people's images,
the entertainment of people,
all of those things
involve moral compromise
to the extent that
my images
recruited people
who were then
damaged by their
experience there.
I'm guilty.
[Taina] That day will come,
and we will be
ashamed of
what we were promoting
as entertainment,
when in fact it was
just abject
human rights abuses
that were happening
with impunity.
♪