MIKHAIL PROKHOROV

The general thinking in France is that the Courchevel ski resort has been overrun by gaudy Russian billionaire playboys. It's a view perpetuated in large part by the frequent visits of Mikhail Prokhorov, an industrialist notorious for the lavish parties he likes to throw, including an annual two-week-long Christmas celebration for his comrades. But the notion that the world's 24th richest man (Forbes values Prokhorov's worth at nearly $20 billion) tarnished the resort's reputation came into much sharper relief in January 2007, when he was arrested for allegedly running a prostitution ring out of several of the resort's hotels to, uh, service his friends, who wisely paid the women in luxury goods from boutiques in the area (making a criminal case tougher to prove). The New York Times reported that the charges against Prokhorov and his influential Russian pals disappeared after several days; the damage to Courchevel's reputation among its more traditional guests was hardly so fleeting.

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