Joe Conforte would be proud. Somewhere in Brazil, probably sipping on cocktail with a little paper umbrella, I bet he’s feeling pretty good about his old Mustang Ranch brothel back home just 15 miles outside of Reno, Nev., and the fact its appliances, art and history are raking in both money and fame. After fleeing the country in the early 1990s to escape back taxes in excess of $13 million, the Internal Revenue Service auctioned hundreds of objects from the brothel. And now the brothel’s in a bit of money and legal trouble once more.
In a display of what only can be described as unadulterated America, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management is selling everything from the Mustang Ranch brothel … including the kitchen sink. But don’t get too excited — the IRS already auctioned off the naughty bits in December.
“The risqué stuff is really all gone … It’s just run-of-the-mill stuff, like tile and doors, lamps, appliances, a sink,” said Oregon’s Department of Administrative Services assistant director Cindy Becker.
Dennis Hof, the Moonlight Bunny Ranch brothel’s proprietor, shelled out the dough for more than $20,000 of the items auctioned in December. Why? This latest bit with auctions and selling the brothel’s trademark on eBay are just a piece of the pie — Mustang Ranch has quite a history. Ricki, a veteran of Mustang Ranch brothel as well as a number of other brothels in Nevada, commented on the history and nostalgia of the Mustang Ranch.
“Mustang was a lot of fun, and it was well known, and it had a lot of history,” Ricki said.
And she’s right; Mustang Ranch became the first legal brothel in 1971 after operating illicitly for 15 years. But is that reason for Hof (whose name sparks a reference to good ole Playboy founder Hugh “Heff” Heffner) to shell out cash for enough items to open a Mustang Ranch museum next to his own Moonlight Bunny Ranch brothel?
Well, as he put it in an interview with CNN correspondents, “The Mustang Ranch is a part of American history.” Look for a museum to the Mustang Ranch next to the Moonlight Bunny Ranch just east of Carson City, Nev., opening soon.
Not so much as a testament to its rank in the history of prostitution, the brothel is a part of American history in elucidating where our country stands with reference to both technology and economics. Because of the fraud and racketeering charges the brothel’s parent company and manager were found guilty of four years ago, the property was seized and put up for sale in auctions and on eBay. The trademark and logo will be auctioned and sold for what is sure to be an inordinate amount of money. People have cashed in on “everything from office furniture from the kinky ‘Jungle Room’ to television sets and matchbooks,” according to the CNN report, in prior auctions held by government agencies.
It’ll be interesting to see how much money the trademark and logo rake in on eBay. For now, you can browse the site and view everything from shot glasses to mesh trucker hats, all bearing the Mustang Ranch logo and usually a little nudity.