Mustang Ranch sells for $145,000

The main buildings of the Mustang Ranch sold at auction on eBay Thursday - though it's unclear who did the buying.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, which offered the buildings for sale, could not be reached. E-Bay auctions could not release the name of the person or company that placed the winning bid.

"We're not allowed to reveal that information due our privacy policy," said Jamie Patricio with eBay media relations.

The winning bid was $145,000, according to brothel owner Dennis Hof, who dropped out of the bidding.

"Bidding was at $20,000 and a couple of people jumped in at the last minute and bidding went up. We dropped out at $100,000," Hof said.

He said he didn't know who placed the winning bid for the 60-room building, which was Nevada's first legal brothel.

Hof, who spent more than $20,000 on Mustang memorabilia at a December auction, said he purchased Mustang II for $8,101. Bidding on Mustang II -with 40 rooms - closed Monday.

Hof has 90 days to move the several manufactured buildings of Mustang II to the 50-acre property were he operates the Moonlite Bunnyranch east of Carson City. He intends to turn the Mustang buildings into a museum of prostitution.

"We'll have the two most famous brothels ever right here," he said.

The federal government seized the Mustang buildings in 1999 after a U.S. District Court jury found the corporation that owned the Mustang Ranch guilty of racketeering and bankruptcy fraud. The government tried to extradite owner Joe Conforte from Brazil in the 1990s.

The Bureau of Land Management plans to use Mustang Ranch land for public access to the Truckee River.