Brenda Stewart: Ex-Denver Players owner cops plea, 69 other counts dropped (VIDEO)

Last month, we shared reports that ex-Denver Players/Denver Sugar owner Brenda Stewart would cop a plea -- and at a hearing yesterday, the agreement was formalized. In exchange for her pleading guilty to a single count of tax evasion, prosecutors dropped an appropriate number of other charges against the alleged...

By Michael Roberts

July 7, 2011

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Last month, we shared reports that ex-Denver Players/Denver Sugar owner Brenda Stewart would cop a plea -- and at a hearing yesterday, the agreement was formalized. In exchange for her pleading guilty to a single count of tax evasion, prosecutors dropped an appropriate number of other charges against the alleged madam of the notorious prostitution business: 69.

Some may see a disconnect in this pact. After all, previous Denver Players owner Scottie Ewing was allowed to plead guilty to one tax evasion count, too, after he agreed to testify against Stewart. Yet she's now received the same deal as Ewing did.

Whether the punishment will be equivalent isn't known: Stewart's sentencing won't take place until November. But Ewing received six months of home detention -- punishment that didn't stop him from throwing the Denver mayor's race into an uproar via claims that eventual winner Michael Hancock had used Denver Players' services.

At this writing, the person most publicly chasing a story many news agencies seem eager to move past is Complete Colorado's Todd Shepherd, whose request for information about possible surveillance footage of Denver Players was rejected by the Denver Police Department. However, one of the main reasons the DPD offered for the turndown was the continuing prosecution of Stewart. With the plea deal done, will the cops be more forthcoming either now or after her sentencing? And at that point, will anyone care? Those questions remain to be answered. In the meantime, here's CBS4's coverage of Stewart's court appearance:

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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