Breaking News: NY Gov. Spitzer involved with prostitution ring

[Dueller]

Can't wait to hear the details on this.

[Dueller]

Spitzer Is Linked to Prostitution Ring


By DANNY HAKIM New York Times
Published: March 10, 2008
ALBANY - Gov. Eliot Spitzer has informed his most senior administration officials that he had been involved in a prostitution ring, an administration official said this morning.


Nathaniel Brooks for The New York Times
Governor Eliot Spitzer at a news conference in July 2007.
Mr. Spitzer, who was huddled with his top aides early this afternoon, had hours earlier abruptly canceled his scheduled public events for the day. He is set to make an announcement about 2:15 this afternoon at his Manhattan office.

Mr. Spitzer, a first-term Democrat who pledged to bring ethics reform and end the often seamy ways of Albany, is married with three children.

Just last week, federal prosecutors arrested four people in connection with an expensive prostitution operation. Administration officials would not say that this was the ring with which the governor had become involved.

He had a difficult first year in office, rocked by a mix of scandal and legislative setbacks. In recent weeks, however, Mr. Spitzer seemed to have rebounded, with his Democratic party poised to perhaps gain control of the state Senate for the first time in four decades.

Mr. Spitzer gained national attention when he served as attorney general with his relentless pursuit of Wall Street wrongdoing. As attorney general, he also had prosecuted at least two prostitution rings as head of the state’s organized crime task force.

In one such case in 2004, Mr. Spitzer spoke with revulsion and anger after announcing the arrest of 16 people for operating a high-end prostitution ring out of Staten Island.

“”This was a sophisticated and lucrative operation with a multitiered management structure,” Mr. Spitzer said at the time. ”It was, however, nothing more than a prostitution ring.”

Albany for months been roiled by bitter fighting and accusations of dirty tricks. The Albany County district attorney is set to issue in the coming days the results of his investigation into Mr. Spitzer’s first scandal, his aides’ involvement in an effort to tarnish Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno, the state’s top Republican.

[The Gaijin]

NY1 has a report. Looks to be true.

[Joeaksa]

Its all over Fox News.... course for Democrats this is normal I guess. No morals and can do anything they wish and get away with it. Hell, according to Clinton, he probably did not even have sex, they just shared a cigar!

[stomachmonkey]

Busted!

Have a feeling this is only the tip.

Ha, i said Tip.

[grudk]

Does the article say anywhere if the prosititute spitzer swallows?

[Dueller]

Originally Posted by grudk

Does the article say anywhere if the prosititute spitzer swallows?

Knew that was cum-ing.

Spitzer swallows or chokes?

[Dueller]

Four Charged With Running Online Prostitution Ring

By ALAN FEUER
Published: March 7, 2008
Federal authorities arrested four people Thursday on charges of running an online prostitution ring that serviced clients in New York, Paris and other cities and took in more than $1 million in profits over four years.

The ring, known as the Emperor’s Club V.I.P., had 50 prostitutes available for appointments in New York, Washington, Miami, London and Paris, according to a complaint unsealed on Thursday in Federal District Court in Manhattan. The appointments, made by telephone or through an online booking service, cost $1,000 to $5,500 an hour and could be paid for with cash, credit card, wire transfers or money orders, the complaint said.

According to the office of the United States attorney in Manhattan, Mark Brener, 62, of New Jersey, was the leader of the ring, but delegated day-to-day business responsibilities to Cecil Suwal, 23, also of New Jersey. The office said that Ms. Suwal controlled the bank accounts, took applications from prospective prostitutes and oversaw two booking agents, identified by the authorities as Temeka Rachelle Lewis, 32, of Brooklyn, and Tanya Hollander, 36, of Rhinebeck, N.Y.

Ms. Hollander’s lawyer, Mary E. Mulligan, said her client was innocent, and that “up until today, she lived a very quiet life in a small town.”

The ring’s Web site showed pictures of the prostitutes, cropped so faces were not visible, and listed names like Sienna and Christine. The Web site, which was disabled shortly after the arrests were announced, ranked the prostitutes on a scale of one to seven “diamonds.” A three-diamond woman, for example, could command a fee of $1,000 per hour. A seven-diamond woman cost more than $3,000 an hour.

For its most valued clients, the Emperor’s Club offered membership in the elite “Icon Club,” with hourly fees starting at $5,500, according to the federal complaint. The club also offered clients the opportunity to purchase direct access to a prostitute without having to contact the agency.

As part of the investigation, federal agents worked with a woman who claimed to have worked for the Emperor’s Club as a prostitute in 2006, according to court papers. An undercover agent posed as a potential client and arranged appointments by phone and online.

After obtaining authorization to tap the club’s phones, federal agents recorded more than 5,000 calls and text messages and had access to 6,000 e-mail messages, court papers said. Many of these were somewhat mundane requests for appointments. The authorities — the case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service and the F.B.I. — did not identify any of the clients.

Ms. Lewis and Ms. Hollander were charged with a conspiracy to violate federal prostitution laws. Each faces up to five years in prison if convicted.

Mr. Brener and Ms. Suwal were accused of prostitution and money laundering: The complaint says they funneled profits through bank accounts in the names of two front companies, identified as QAT Consulting Group and QAT International. They face maximum penalties of 25 years in prison if convicted.

[RoninLB]

BY JAMES T. MADORE and BILL BLEYER | james.madore@newsday.com
2:58 PM EDT, March 10, 2008


crop

Last week, federal prosecutors arrested four people in connection with an expensive prostitution operation. It is not clear whether this was the ring with which the governor had become involved. But the Times reported that a person with knowledge of the governor's role believes the governor is identified as a client in court papers.

The governor's travel records show that he was in Washington in mid-February, the Times said. One of the clients described in court papers arranged to meet with a prostitute who was part of the ring at the Emperors Club VIP on the night of Feb. 13. An affidavit filed in federal court in Manhattan in connection with the case lists six conversations between the man, identified as Client 9, and a booking agent for the Emperors Club, the paper said.

crop

[the]

That's probably not going to be good for his career.

[MT930]

Umm yea thats not going to look good on the resume.

Just saw the press conference.

[speeder]

$3000 an hour??!!

I'll bet you're pulling the sheets out of your ass after that session.

[The Gaijin]

"In one such case in 2004, Mr. Spitzer spoke with revulsion and anger after announcing the arrest of 16 people for operating a high-end prostitution ring out of Staten Island."

I would say he is toast. He had low poll numbers before this story broke. He is not popular at all.

[dhoward]

Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.

[VINMAN]

I thought for sure he would have resigned. I guess after what Mc Greevy did, he didnt think it was that bad.....

[MT930]

$3000.00 an hour? what do you get for that? I'm maybe a little sheltered,does that involve midgets and power tools?

[speeder]

Originally Posted by VINMAN

I thought for sure he would have resigned. I guess after what Mc Greevy did, he didnt think it was that bad.....

Yeah, at least they were girls.

[speeder]

For $3Gs I'd want a pretty high-quality film of the whole thing so I could try to earn it back on the interweb.

[Neilk]

I love it when those holier than thou types get caught doing something wrong or in this case illegal.

[dtw]

This is old-school OT that has been missing for months here; (almost) no partisan chest-thumping and tons of laughs. Thanks to Dueller and Mr. Spitzer...