Life underground in LA sewage tunnels where ex-porn star set up home in squalor

04 November 2023 , 16:30

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Life underground in LA sewage tunnels where ex-porn star set up home in squalor

Lurking below the bustle and bright lights of Las Vegas is a network of tunnels underground - with a community of homeless living in squalor conditions.

Drug addicts, gamblers, and criminals have sought refuge there and when TV crews made the journey down to explore the going-ons, they discovered a world-famous porn star was hiding down there too.

In years gone by, Jenni Lee was one of the most recognisable actresses involved in the adult industry. The Tennessee star achieved a huge following after appearing in high-profile films and magazines including Hustler and Penthouse before retiring in 2009 to focus on fashion modelling.

Despite 45,000 fans subscribing to her website as of last year, her living situation has changed dramatically and is a far cry from her previously glossy lifestyle. The 39-year-old was found living in a 200-mile long labyrinth beneath the casino capital of the world by a production company making a documentary about the tunnels.

TV crews found the porn star living in the tunnels

But shocking footage from the tunnels has now emerged, showing the horrific living conditions residents have to endure living in the drainage system. Ross Kemp visited the tunnels as part of his Extreme World series for Sky in 2014, and spoke to the homeless inhabitants for a documentary.

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Mentally-ill drug addicts stay in unhygienic and unsanitary conditions, with rats, scorpions and other sewage creatures living among them. Ross spoke to a drug-addict couple, Jazz and Sharon, who also called the underground their home.

Underneath Las Vegas' bustling city lies a hidden underground refuge

Jazz, a meth-addict, told Ross: "I drink and I f**k with the meth amphetamine... I gamble. Sometimes that's how we make our money, by gambling. You lose more mostly so with the drug and everything I have to, food and this and that, it's tough. It's a 24-7 town. Vegas is crazy."

Sharon had children and grandchildren living in the real world, who she still visited, but said they do not approve of her lifestyle. Ross spoke to one of the underground squatters, an attempted murderer, who succumbed to the sewer's ghastly conditions when he couldn't find work because of his prison record.

There are over 1000 homeless people living underground

The man said he constantly keeps a look out for rainy weather as the drainage system can easily get flooded. He said: "You got to stay on top of the weather or you get washed out. Once I saw a wall of water coming."

When asked what the difference was living there from above he said: "I like it here because you can be anything you want to be, a drug addict or a worker. "There is an unwritten law: as long as we are not seen we are good."

Murderer Timmy TJ Weber also hid in the underground tunnel from police after killing his girlfriend and 15-year-old son in 2003. Now, Jenni Lee calls it home.

Ross Kemp visited the Nevada underworld (SKY)

Jenni, whose real name is Stephanie Sadorra, said "people were more accepting" underground. It is not known how Jenni ended up in the tunnels. The X-rated actress appeared in several high-profile adult films and men's magazines including Hustler and Penthouse in the 90s.

With no make up and her long hair in a hair net, Jenni is far from how she once portrayed herself in magazines. She told TV crews: “I’m happy, I have everything I need here. People are more accepting [underground]. I like that those hardships build camaraderie.I feel like you make more genuine friends.” Las Vegas is known to have one of the largest homeless populations in the USA, according to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.

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