On the first day of the trial, Palfrey lawyer Preston Burton asked a pool of about 70 potential jurors if they personally knew Tobias and Vitter.

Vitter, R-La., has admitted he was on Palfrey's customer list and apologized. But he has ducked all questions about his relationship with Palfrey's escort service. He's not likely to be able to do so on the witness stand.

Tobias, a deputy secretary of state, resigned last year after admitting he also was a Palfrey client. Tobias said he received only massages, not sex. A former head of Eli Lilly and Co., Tobias recently took charge of the Indianapolis Airport Authority.

Vitter's attorney, Henry Asbill, could not be reached for comment. U.S. District Judge James Robertson has rejected Asbill's motion to quash a subpoena requiring Vitter to testify.

Palfrey, 52, is charged with prostitution-related racketeering and money laundering. If convicted, she could face up to 55 years in prison.

The large pool of potential jurors was pared down to 14 — 12 jurors and two alternates. Eight are women.

In opening statements Monday prosecutor Catherine Connelly called the witness box "maybe the hottest seat in D.C. this year."

She also cautioned jurors that "some of the testimony you will hear is crass."

Federal prosecutors are basing their case on the Travel Act, which bars using the mail, interstate travel or interstate mail to promote unlawful activities, including prostitution. They have filed the case under a racketeering statute and have also charged Palfrey with money laundering.

Prosecutors listed more than a dozen former escorts on their witness list. They also plan to call defense analyst Harlan Ullman, known for developing the "shock and awe" warfare strategy.

Palfrey's company, known as Pamela Martin & Associates escort service, boasted some 10,000 clients. But Palfrey has maintained she was running a legal "adult fantasy" service that stopped short of sex.

Palfrey ran her operation out of her California home, contacting the more than 100 women who worked for her mostly by phone, according to court documents. Some of the women crossed the Virginia and Maryland borders to meet with Palfrey's clients, the documents allege.

Burton on Monday argued that his client did not condone, or know about, any sexual activity between the women who worked for her and her clients.

He said Palfrey acted "like a taxi dispatcher" in arranging dates for her clients.

"My client did not sell sex, my client sold appointments," he said.

As evidence that Palfrey did not run an illegal business, Burton submitted a 1999 Washington, D.C., phone book that contained 14 pagers of escort service listings.

Palfrey's ad said she required that women she hired have a minimum of two years of college and that she had "a one price policy" with no hidden fees.

"She was trying to run a high-class business," Burton said.

The trial is expected to last three weeks.

Enlarge By Mark Wilson, Getty Images Deborah Jeane Palfrey arrives at the Federal Court House April 30, 2007 in Washington, DC. Palfrey is being accused of running a prostitution ring in the Washington area that allegedly catered to upscale clients.

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