NY Gov. Spitzer Linked to Prostitution Ring

[Breukelen advocaat]

Typical behavior from a hypocritical reformer.


March 10, 2008

Spitzer Is Linked to Prostitution Ring

By DANNY HAKIM and WILLIAM K. RASHBAUm

ALBANY - Gov. Eliot Spitzer has been caught on a federal wiretap arranging to meet with a high-priced prostitute at a Washington hotel last month, according to a person briefed on the federal investigation.

An affidavit in the federal investigation into a prostitution ring said that a wiretap recording captured a man identified as Client 9 on a telephone call confirming plans to have a woman travel from New York to Washington, where he had reserved a hotel room. The person briefed on the case identified Mr. Spitzer as Client 9.

Mr. Spitzer today made a brief public appearance during which he apologized for his behavior, and described it as a â??private matter.â?�

â??I have acted in a way that violates my obligation to my family and violates my or any sense of right or wrong,â?� said Mr. Spitzer, who appeared with his wife Silda at his Manhattan office. â??I apologize first and most importantly to my family. I apologize to the public to whom I promised better.â?�

â??I have disappointed and failed to live up to the standard I expected of myself. I must now dedicate some time to regain the trust of my family.â?�

Before speaking, Mr. Spitzer stood with his arm around his wife; the two nodded and then strode forward together to face more than 100 reporters. Both had glassy, tear-filled eyes, but they did not cry.

The governor spoke for perhaps a minute and did not address his political future.

He declined to take questions and promised to report back soon. As he went to leave, three reporters screamed out, "Are you resigning? Are you resigning?", and Mr. Spitzer charged out of the room, slamming the door.

The governor learned that he had been implicated in the prostitution inquiry when a federal official contacted his staff last Friday, according to the person briefed on the case.

The governor informed his top aides Sunday night and this morning of his involvement. He canceled his public events today and scheduled the announcement for this afternoon after inquiries from The Times.

The governorâ??s aides appeared shaken before he spoke, and one of them began to weep as they waited for him to make his statement at his Manhattan office.

The man described as Client 9 in court papers arranged to meet with a prostitute who was part of the ring, Emperors Club VIP, on the night of Feb. 13. Mr. Spitzer traveled to Washington that evening, according to a person told of his travel arrangements.

The affidavit says that Client 9 met with the woman in hotel room 871 but does not identify the hotel. Mr. Spitzer stayed at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington on Feb. 13, according to a source who was told of his travel arrangements. Room 871 at the Mayflower Hotel that evening was registered under another name.

Federal prosecutors rarely charge clients in prostitution cases, which are generally seen as state crimes. But the Mann Act, passed by Congress in 1910 to address prostitution, human trafficking and what was viewed at the time as immorality in general, makes it a crime to transport someone between states for the purpose of prostitution. The four defendants charged in the case unsealed last week were all charged with that crime, along with several others.

Mr. Spitzer 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 stateâ??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.

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

Albany for months has 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. Spitzerâ??s first scandal, his aidesâ?? involvement in an effort to tarnish Majority Leader, Joseph Bruno, the stateâ??s top Republican.


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/10/ny...3e6&ei=5087%0A

Breukelen advocaat Reviewed by Breukelen advocaat on 03-10-2008. NY Gov. Spitzer Linked to Prostitution Ring Typical behavior from a hypocritical reformer. March 10, 2008 Spitzer Is Linked to Prostitution Ring By DANNY HAKIM and WILLIAM K. RASHBAUm ALBANY - Gov. Eliot Spitzer has been caught on a federal wiretap arranging to meet with a high-priced prostitute at a Washington hotel last month, according to a person briefed on the federal investigation. Rating: 5

[FakeBoobsRule]

Looks like Elliot Spitzer is just another politician who's career is going to go down in flames thanks to the ladies of the night. I wonder if Bill Clinton was at any of these parties.

Governor apologizes after prostitution link - Politics - MSNBC.com

[killerweed420]

Another pillar of the community falls on his face.lol

[Psycho4Bud]

In 2005, Gov. Bill Richardson hailed Spitzer as "the future of the (Democratic) party." And 2004 presidential candidate Wesley Clark said that Spitzer was on his vice-presidential short-list.
Profile of Eliot Spitzer, Governor of New York

Just had to.....

Have a good one!:jointsmile:

[Zimzum]

IMO prostitution is not a crime as it is between two consenting adults and you can't have a crime if there is no victim. However this man is a 2 faced hypocrite, "Do as I say, not as I do". Spitzer's karma caught up with him and may it greet him in his next life.


Not mentioned in the two articles above.

"In 2004, he was part of an investigation of an escort service in New York City that resulted in the arrest of 18 people on charges of promoting prostitution and related charges"

From an AP story

[rebgirl420]

I think it's great another Dem bites the dust but personally I'm not against prostitution.

So eh'. Oh well.

[zeitgeist]

Look on the bright side. At least he didnt get caught doing little boys

[Breukelen advocaat]

I think it's great another Dem bites the dust but personally I'm not against prostitution.

So eh'. Oh well.

Neither am I (against prostitution), but the often unnecessary havoc he caused on Wall Street impacted me, and many other honest former and current employees of the financial industry, very badly.

He won't get what he really deserves, but I'm glad the karma has caught up with him to some extent.

If he had maintained an independent mistress in NYC, for cash, rather than a using a call-girl service, this whole thing wouldn't have blown up in his face like it has. He's probably too stupid to realize that. Rudy, and countless other politicians, got away with it for years.

[rebgirl420]

^

Your correct! This is nothing new. It seems like this sort of thing happens every other month.

One less Dem

[dragonrider]

This is a story with a lot of conflicting angles to it. I'mnot really sur what to think

On one hand, I personally do not think there is anything wrong with prostitution as long as the "provider" is not coerced into the business in any way. Sometimes they are, and that's wrong. But if they go into it willingly, how can it be illegal to charge for something that it's OK to give away for free?

On the other hand, I do hate hipocrisy. Sounds like he made a carreer partially by prosecuting people for doing something he felt was OK for him to do. That is a hypocrit that needs to be dragged out into the light.

And on a third hand or possibly a foot, I thought he did some good work prosecuting corruption on Wall Street. A lot of people got screwed by the corruption at places like Enron and Tyco and the rest. And the auditing firms like Andersen betrayed their duties as well. They needed to be shaken up and a few people needed to go to jail. I thought he did a good job with that.