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Former Colorado Legislator Now In Porn Business With Daughter: "I Feel No Shame"
Rocky Mountain News ^ | 8/7/04 | John aguilar

Posted on 08/10/2004 8:19:17 AM PDT by dukeman

A former Colorado lawmaker and parole board chairman now works in the family business - but it's no dry cleaner or mom-and-pop restaurant.

These days, Larry Schwarz can be found at Platinum X Pictures, a hard-core adult-film company in California's San Fernando Valley.

Debbie, his wife of 24 years, is director of sales. Their 28-year-old daughter, Stephany, is co-owner and star of the company, where she goes by the stage name Jewel DeNyle.

"I feel no shame, as I have learned that what we do in our office is no different than any other business," Larry Schwarz says. "It is the adult-entertainment industry, and it's not violent like what you see in real-life daily news or in mainstream movies."

Schwarz says he works on the decidedly unsexy side of the porn business - managing the warehouse in Canoga Park, marketing tapes and DVDs, and overseeing payroll and collections - and spends no time on the production side, where the movies are shot and edited.

"It is not a porn shop, it is a warehouse distribution center, like any other, shipping VHS and DVD products - period," he says.

"It looks very much like a truck terminal without a dock. I'm still the same person as before, working with a different product and trying to do the best possible job and create profits. It's only different in the minds of those who wish to make it so."

People who knew Schwarz as a Republican legislator twice elected to represent a conservative House district in southern Colorado say they can't fathom his being part of the $6 billion porn industry.

"I could put my finger in an electrical socket and I wouldn't get this kind of a shock," says Ken Chlouber, the Republican president pro tem of the Colorado Senate, who worked with Schwarz on several bills and once wintered his burros on Schwarz's ranch in Wetmore. "If you knew Larry, none of this fits."

A former trucking company executive, Schwarz was tapped in 1997 by then-Gov. Roy Romer for a seat on the state's Parole Board. He was reappointed by Gov. Bill Owens three years later.

Then everything unraveled.

Authorities raided Schwarz's Wetmore home on Dec. 4, 2001, looking for child pornography.

According to court records, police removed cartoon books depicting children having sex and other items, including tapes of DeNyle from Schwarz's home.

Police also investigated claims that Schwarz had sexually molested family members years earlier.

No charges were filed, but Owens fired him from the Parole Board.

Schwarz says that after 15 months of unsuccessful job hunting, the position at his daughter's film company was the "only one available" to him.

Schwarz and his wife moved to Los Angeles in March 2003 to help Stephany, who was already an industry star, get her own adult-movie company off the ground.

Stephany, who refused to be interviewed for this story, spent nine years in the tiny town of Wetmore, 20 miles south of Cañon City. She is the biological daughter of Debbie Schwarz and was adopted by Larry while still a child. [Oh, tell me this guy hasn't been watching porno flicks of his adopted daughter. Ugh!]

People in Wetmore remember Stephany as a rowdy high school student, but Schwarz says he never detected signs that she was heading toward life as a porn star.

"I would much rather she were on the silver screen with Mel Gibson, but life happens not always as we wish," Schwarz says. "We both decided early on that it was better to be there for our daughter and help her avoid other situations which may have been even more devastating.

"When (Stephany) first told us what she was doing for a living, she stressed that she is who she is at home, and Jewel only while at work. She has done an outstanding job at maintaining that distinction throughout her career. We are proud of her."

Schwarz's willingness to further the adult-film career of his adopted daughter by marketing and distributing her films is baffling to some.

"When you have children, why in the world would you promote them doing pornography?" asks Norma Anderson, a Republican state senator and co-majority leader at the time Schwarz was in the House.

Schwarz says he played no role in Stephany's choice to enter the adult-film industry, noting that she decided to do so long before he ever joined her in California. And, he said, she recently decided to retire from performing.

Schwarz also said he isn't in the adult-film business for the money. While he wouldn't disclose his salary at Platinum X, Schwarz says it is substantially less than the $77,928 a year he earned on the Colorado Parole Board.

At work, Schwarz says he takes extra precautions with his daughter's image and "specifically avoids seeing her in anything she performs."

When it's time to choose explicit photographs of DeNyle for use in promotional materials, Schwarz says he refuses to take part.

"I think it's great that Jewel's parents have an open mind about their daughter being in the adult industry," says Michael Stefano, a co-owner of Platinum X and a performer in the industry. "Jewel is very close with both of her parents and would do anything for them."

It's possible that Schwarz, who calls his Platinum X family a "team of mother, father, daughter and associates," is breaking new ground in an industry that thrives on expanding the concept of what's acceptable.

To date, the phenomenon of parents working directly for, or with, their porn-star offspring is still fairly unusual, says Mark Kernes, a senior editor with Adult Video News, an industry trade magazine.

Schwarz's former neighbors in Wetmore aren't turning their back on him.

"I don't think there is anyone you can talk to up here that would bad-mouth him," says Cecilia Sanders.

A group of longtime residents that gathers regularly for conversation and coffee at the Wetmore Community Center recalls Schwarz as "nice" and "personable" and as a legislator who effectively looked out for the interests of Custer, Fremont, Teller and Pueblo counties.

However people categorize his involvement in the adult industry, Schwarz says he will never abandon his Republican ideals of self-reliance, lower taxes and individual freedom.

As for those who question his commitment to family values, Schwarz says the term has many definitions.

Schwarz plans to spend the rest of his working days with his family at Platinum X.

But he still manages to keep the state he called home close at hand, with pictures of cowboys, horses and cattle on his office walls and mountain scenes glowing on his computer screen.

And Schwarz vows to one day return to the state he loves.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; US: Colorado
KEYWORDS: porn
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To: cyborg; Redcloak
Marriage confers things like citizenship upon a person in this country. There are a lot of reasons for government to issue marriage licenses.

Actually, this is a strike AGAINST marriage. There are better ways to confer citizenship on people. Do you also agree that the child of every illegal that pops out as soon as they sneak across the border should ALSO have citizenship immediately conferred on them? I think in both cases, it should at least be conditional for a time.
101 posted on 08/10/2004 10:17:57 AM PDT by beezdotcom (I'm usually either right or wrong.)
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To: goldstategop
And thanks to the Internet and DVD, its more accessible to a mainstream audience than ever before in history.

Call me old fashioned but I still like to put on a wig and a rain coat and head out to the $0.25 peep shows :-)

102 posted on 08/10/2004 10:18:17 AM PDT by Moleman
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To: beezdotcom

I do not believe the children of illegals should be granted automatic citizenship.


103 posted on 08/10/2004 10:20:22 AM PDT by cyborg
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To: cyborg

Nice try, you can run but you can't hide from your Republican Party.
That is not a personal attack. It addresses an attempt to turn misbehaving Republicans into libertarians.
You attacked me personally.
You should retract your slanderous and despicable attack.
The again, maybe you can blame your faults on someone else as you did before.


104 posted on 08/10/2004 10:25:48 AM PDT by Protagoras (" I believe that's the role of the federal government, to help people"...GWB, 7-23-04)
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To: Protagoras

I'm not taking back a word I said.


105 posted on 08/10/2004 10:27:03 AM PDT by cyborg
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To: dukeman

106 posted on 08/10/2004 10:27:31 AM PDT by BaBaStooey
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To: wideawake
"With him we have the additional twist that he is, if not an actual child molester, a child-porn enthusiast."
"When he was arrested he knew that he could never be elected as a Republican ever again."

He was investigated, BUT NO CHARGES WERE FILED. The reason he was investigated was because he was a Republican politician and his adopted daughter was a porn star. His ADOPTED DAUGHTER was a porn star, NOT he and his wife. This was a political hit job. If you were in his position, the exact same thing could have happened to you.

Don't tell me you could never be in his position. No one wants their children to be porn stars when they grow up, but some are, and there isn't a thing you can do about it once they are adults.

Whats surprising to me is that he isn't more angry at his daughter. I guess if she is offering the only job he can get because the government has dragged his name through the mud, he has to swallow his pride and make the best of the situation.
107 posted on 08/10/2004 10:28:07 AM PDT by monday
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To: cyborg
I'm not taking back a word I said.

Neither is Scharwz.

108 posted on 08/10/2004 10:30:58 AM PDT by Protagoras (" I believe that's the role of the federal government, to help people"...GWB, 7-23-04)
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To: beezdotcom

"and b)confess that he watches Jewel's tapes regularly...."

eeeuuuwwwww... you would watch your daughters tapes if you were in his position? Thats just nasty..adopted or not.


109 posted on 08/10/2004 10:33:29 AM PDT by monday
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To: Redcloak; cyborg
Strictly speaking, Western Civilization doesn't have Judeo-Christian roots; they're Greek. It is, however, now heavily influenced by Judeo-Christian ethics. One could argue that the tolerant nature of the West helped to propel the Gospel out of the Mid-east and into the rest of the world. It has never stopped being tolerant of outside ideas.

Yes, yes, I was taking a verbal shortcut. And tolerance of Judeo-Christian ethics has arguably a net positive to Western Civ., because properly implemented (NOT as in the Inquisition, etc.) they are fairly compatible. And we both worry whether or not this is likely to hold true for every religion.

By allowing one religion to insert its beliefs into the law, we've opened the door for other religions to do the same. I don't want Jainists writing laws forbidding the eating of meat, or Muslims writing laws requiring women to wear burqas and thus I can't expect to see Christians writing laws according to our sense of morality.

Of course, I don't want to live under Sharia law, either. But I don't quite agree with your wording. I think a Christian is specifically under an obligation to at least respect the Christian sense of morality in writing laws. In some cases, that may indeed translate to taking an amoral approach to the law, because it best allows the Christian to practice his morality. However, amorality is a slippery slope, too.
110 posted on 08/10/2004 10:41:43 AM PDT by beezdotcom (I'm usually either right or wrong.)
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To: monday
eeeuuuwwwww... you would watch your daughters tapes if you were in his position? Thats just nasty..adopted or not.

Of course I wouldn't. My whole point is that I wouldn't *BE* in his position. I have serious doubts about a man who will take a job to help peddle his daughter's sexual exploits to the public. Hence, I am suspicious of his claims to never view her work.
111 posted on 08/10/2004 10:46:07 AM PDT by beezdotcom (I'm usually either right or wrong.)
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To: Protagoras; cyborg
Oh, you two. Is moral hypocrisy present in the Republican Party? Sure. Are they the party you immediately think of joining when you say, "I want lower taxes and legal vices"? Doubtful.
112 posted on 08/10/2004 11:17:56 AM PDT by beezdotcom (I'm usually either right or wrong.)
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To: dukeman
Nobody's said "May the Schwarz be with you"?

SD

113 posted on 08/10/2004 11:21:36 AM PDT by SoothingDave
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To: beezdotcom

That was my original point.


114 posted on 08/10/2004 11:21:50 AM PDT by cyborg
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To: beezdotcom

The party is irrelevant. Always has been.
The point is, when you push your bad apples off onto another group, you expose yourself to the same nonsense.
It's the same thing as putting the picture of the whacko blue guy up everytime some childish poster wants to discredit libertarians.
So it comes full circle, but some people just don't get it.
And then they accuse other freepers of embracing pornography.
Go figure.


115 posted on 08/10/2004 11:26:37 AM PDT by Protagoras (" I believe that's the role of the federal government, to help people"...GWB, 7-23-04)
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To: cyborg
That was my original point.

No it wasn't.

It was to find a way to soil a different group with your own trash.

Stick to ideas and you will do better.

And stop accusing people you don't know of moral failings when you expose yourself with your own slander.

116 posted on 08/10/2004 11:31:15 AM PDT by Protagoras (" I believe that's the role of the federal government, to help people"...GWB, 7-23-04)
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To: Protagoras

Okay whatever.


117 posted on 08/10/2004 11:35:28 AM PDT by cyborg
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To: Protagoras
The party is irrelevant. Always has been. The point is, when you push your bad apples off onto another group, you expose yourself to the same nonsense.

But I couldn't disagree more. A party is as relative as its platform. I'm not even sure I know exactly what you meant there, so I should probably wait for clarification before ranting.

One man's bad apple is another man's pie filling. You're accusing Republicans of trying to push a "bad apple" out...what makes him a bad apple to Republicans? (Well, aside from the child porn charges that were later dropped - but we've barely been talking about those.)

Would he be considered a bad apple to Libertarians? To libertarians?
118 posted on 08/10/2004 11:37:13 AM PDT by beezdotcom (I'm usually either right or wrong.)
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To: beezdotcom

Every party has it's rotten apples.
Parties exist to elect people.
Philosophies describe ideas.
If you disagree with someone's ideas, debate the ideas.
If you would like to ask a question about a philosophy, fire away. But try to avoid personal attacks, it didn't work too well for the other poster. I assume you are an honest poster so you can take that as a general comment not aimed at you specifically.


119 posted on 08/10/2004 11:51:57 AM PDT by Protagoras (" I believe that's the role of the federal government, to help people"...GWB, 7-23-04)
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To: SoothingDave

Yeah, can you believe it took 113 replies to get that in?


120 posted on 08/10/2004 11:52:02 AM PDT by dukeman
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