CHICAGO — A dentist pleaded guilty to money laundering today and admitted he was paid to provide luxury cars and apartments to a prostitution ring operating in Chicago, Detroit and Honolulu.

Dr. Gary Kimmel, 59, also admitted in his signed plea agreement with federal prosecutors that he provided dental services to both the prostitutes and a group of pimps who ran the operation.

Kimmel entered his guilty plea in a hearing before U.S. District Judge Blanche M. Manning, who set Sept. 25 for sentencing.

Kimmel admitted he bought the cars, including a Chevrolet Corvette and a Mercedes-Benz, for the ring but put the titles in his own name to camouflage those who really paid for the vehicles and used them.

He also put up prostitutes and pimps in condominiums he owned in a downtown apartment tower.

Kimmel said that from March 2002 through November 2005 he accepted at least $342,000 in cash, checks and money orders for financing, insuring and maintaining the cars.

The plea agreement said Kimmel was well aware that the money represented the proceeds of prostitution. It said the ring operated in a number of cities such as Chicago, Detroit and Honolulu and the women were moved from city to city by the pimps, all of whom have been convicted and sentenced.

Under federal law Kimmel could be sentenced to as much as 20 years and fined $500,000. But the plea agreement said preliminary calculations under federal sentencing guidelines called for 37 months to 46 months in prison. He also must forfeit $405,000.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie B. Ruder.