TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. _ Police have confirmed that a woman convicted of running a high-end prostitution ring in Washington has committed suicide in a Florida Gulf Coast town.

Tarpon Springs police say the body of 52-year-old Deborah Jeane Palfrey was found hanged in a shed near her mother's home Thursday morning. Palfrey left a suicide note but police did not disclose its contents. Police say Palfrey's mother found the body.

A federal jury convicted Palfrey two weeks ago of running a prostitution service that catered to members of Washington's political elite. One of her clients was Senator David Vitter, a Louisiana Republican.

She had denied her escort service engaged in prostitution. She said she never heard of any of the women who worked for her engaging in sex acts for money. © 2008 The Canadian Press