LOS ANGELES (AP) - Jody ''Babydol'' Gibson, an aspiring pop singer charged with running one of Los Angeles' largest outcall prostitution operations, was convicted of three felony counts of pimping.
A Superior Court jury returned the verdicts after seven days of deliberations. Jurors deadlocked on four other counts of pandering, and Judge Lloyd Nash declared a mistrial on those charges.
Gibson, whose full name is Jody Diane Gibson, faces a maximum sentence of eight years and eight months in prison, said District Attorney spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons.
A grim-looking Gibson, 41, stared straight ahead as the verdicts were read Friday.
Nash ordered her jailed in lieu of $500,000 bail, scheduling her sentencing for April 28.
Authorities have described the blonde-haired, flashy-dressing Gibson as a one-time rival of Hollywood Madam Heidi Fleiss who once provided high-priced call girls to celebrities and other well-heeled clients.
Authorities said Gibson's clients were accepted by referral and would pay between $500 and $3,000.
Deputy District Attorney Richard Walmark said prosecutors haven't decided whether to retry Gibson on the counts the jury deadlocked on. He said he was pleased with the convictions.
''It's a validation of the hard work of the Los Angeles Police Department in this investigation,'' Walmark said. ''They did an excellent job in putting this case together.''
Gibson's attorney, Gerald V. Scotti, complained that prosecuting Gibson had been a waste of time and taxpayers' money.
''The D.A.'s office thinks it's more important to investigate this case than to prosecute murders and gangs and robberies and real crimes,'' he said.
Scotti also complained that the men who allegedly hired prostitutes from Gibson escaped accountability and weren't charged with any crimes.
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