The dark truth behind Moonlite Bunny Ranch
Secrets of The Bunny RanchWho'd have thought that in a dusty corner of Mound House, Nevada, men could pay to realise their wildest fantasies? Welcome to the Moonlite BunnyRanch — a legal brothel that has become synonymous with sex, drugs and violence.
Ahead of Crime+Investigation’s new show Secrets of The Bunny Ranch, which lifts the lid on Dennis Hof’s brothel network across Nevada, this article explores the dark history behind one of America's most scandalous establishments.
The history of the Moonlite BunnyRanch
The Moonlite BunnyRanch in Las Vegas first opened in 1955. At the time, Nevada was one of the only states in the U.S. that legalised prostitution, which attracted questionable businessmen, sex-starved punters and desperate women looking to escape poverty.
There was also a growing demand for adult entertainment services in the area. Mound House was only six miles east of Carson City — a mecca for gambling and other forms of vice tourism.
However, the BunnyRanch didn't burst into public consciousness until 1992, when it was acquired by Dennis Hof. The former gas station owner used his larger-than-life personality to transform the landscape of sex work. He swapped secretism for sensationalism, promoting the brothel on talk shows and radio stations.
HBO’s Cathouse
After more than a decade of relentless schmoozing, Hof struck gold. Primetime television network HBO wanted to create a docuseries about the BunnyRanch, following the lives of Hof and his sex workers. The girls were excited — maybe this would be an opportunity to tell their stories while earning fame and fortune.
But it didn't work out like that. The ‘documentary’ was really the worst kind of reality TV: exploitative, performative and clichéd. Instead of exploring the realities of prostitution, it was a maelstrom of sex and pillow fights dressed-up as empowerment.
Most worryingly, teenagers were being lured to the BunnyRanch via the show. In a stroke of perverted genius, Dennis Hof had managed to turn HBO into a lucrative recruitment service.
Rape and sexual assault
When young girls arrived at the BunnyRanch, their stomachs sank. The pale pink exterior, bordered by high fences and gates, looked more like a prison than a Playboy Mansion. Nevertheless, brainwashed by HBO's more than generous portrayal, they flippantly entered the dangerous world of sex work.
Reality soon hit them like a tonne of bricks, starting with Hof himself. He would regularly grope and proposition his employees, punishing those who refused by withholding clients and payments. Many have accused him of sexual assault and rape — claims he vehemently denied and blasted as being politically motivated.
Jennifer O'Kane was one of the former employees who came forward. She said Hof repeatedly raped and beat her throughout her stay. ‘I had no way to leave’, she told reporters, ‘The damage that he did to my anus —there's permanent damage because I'm ripped inside.’
Sex trafficking
Alongside serious sexual assault, Dennis Hof and the Moonlite BunnyRanch have been at the centre of human trafficking allegations. In 2018, the Lyon County Sheriff's Office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) launched an investigation into whether Hof's chain of brothels (which included the Moonlite BunnyRanch, Kit Kat Ranch and Love Ranch) were forcing women and girls to work against their will.
The findings were damning. Investigators established that at least 83 individuals working at the brothels showed ‘positive indicators of human trafficking’, which often include fear and anxiety, unexplained injuries and possessing false identity or travel documents. However, they couldn't pursue this further due to limited resources.
Drugs and violence
On 10th July 2003, former Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil was charged with battery following an alleged assault. He was accused of grabbing a woman by the throat and throwing her against the wall during an argument about prices.
This wasn’t the first major celebrity incident at one of Hof’s ranches. On 13th October 2015, NBA star Lamar Odom was discovered unresponsive at the Love Ranch. One of the brothel's former madams, T. J. Moore, remembers the incident clearly: ‘The girls yelled at me to come down. They said something was wrong. To keep him from asphyxiating, I turned him on his right side.’
He had overdosed on a cocktail of herbal Viagra, alcohol and cocaine, which led to kidney failure, 12 strokes and six heart attacks. He denies consuming the drugs knowingly. Moore told reporters that Hof was ecstatic at the media coverage: ‘Dennis Hof was so happy and so giddy. He thought it was going to triple his business.’
