MANHATTAN SUPREME COURT — The self-proclaimed "King of All Pimps" said he is no longer pimping during a bizarre courtroom rant Tuesday that invoked everyone from Mayor Bloomberg to country star Billy Ray Cyrus.
Jason Itzler's lawyers acknowledged that he ran a "companionship service," but insisted he did not provide prostitutes to clients through his most recent enterprise, "Rockstar Models & Partygirls."
"He admits to running a companionship service. No crime committed. Certainly no victims here to speak of," said Itzler's attorney, Kevin Canfield, who asked the judge for a significant reduction in bail, which was set at $500,000 last week.
Itzler, 44, was arrested last week on charges of promoting prostitution, money laundering and criminal sale of a controlled substance. Prosecutors said he sent a prostitute to a client at the Trump International Hotel at a price of $19,500 for a three-day encounter. He also allegedly sold $4,700 worth of cocaine to that same customer.
Itzler claimed that country singer and Miley Cyrus' father Billy Ray Cyrus is actually the person prosecutors claim was his client in this case. But he said Cyrus actually ordered a "non-sexual companion" who visited the singer's Trump International Hotel room.
He seemed to dismiss the drug charges by saying he arrived at the hotel room to find Cyrus using heroin, and said he saved the singer's life by calling for help.
During Tuesday's proceeding, Itzler also winked at photographers and flashed a peace sign. Then, during a lengthy rant, he appeared to run out of breath and jumped up for court officers to ask for his asthma inhaler.
Itzler then begged for a lower bail amount, despite having a felony record for drug sales and promoting prostitution.
"Anything over $1,000 bail for me is a death sentence. Bail is supposed to be fair," he said. "I have my food stamps card in my property, and I have been homeless the last two years," he added.
Itzler also claimed he was the one who led prosecutors to Eliot Spitzer's prostitution service and complained that he was not getting credit for it.
Prosecutors dismissed the Cyrus claims, saying there was no validity to his outlandish accusations.
"Billy Ray Cyrus has nothing to do with this," Assistant District Attorney Eugene Hurley said in court.
But Itzler kept talking even after the hearing.
"If he's not Billy Ray Cyrus, I'm Mickey Mouse," he said as he was escorted back to his holding cell.
He also accused Mayor Michael Bloomberg of conspiring with Cyrus to cover up the near-fatal heroin binge that Itzler claims took place.
"Billy Ray Cyrus is best friends with Mayor Bloomberg. Bloomberg has a tendency to cover things up," he said.
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Thomas Farber re-set bail at $200,000.
