Gov. Spitzer apologizes to family, public for being big money trick
By Noble Johns
New York (BNW) — Gov. Eliot Spitzer, not only has he embarrassed his family, friends and the people of New York for buying pussy, but this trick has up the price of pussy so, by paying over $5,000, what hope is there for a $20 trick these days? This trick said he "acted in way that violates his obligation to his family," speaking hours after the New York Times reported he told senior administration officials he had been involved in a prostitution ring.
Eliot Spitzer has admitted involvement in a prostitution ring, The New York Times reports. This sucker could have bought a $20 crack ho' and been better off... what a sucker to spend over $80,000 tricking.
"I apologize first and most importantly to my family. I apologize to the public, to whom I promised better," he said.
He did not elaborate on the paper's claims and did not take any questions after making his statement.
"I am disappointed that I failed to live up to the standard I expected of myself," he said
The paper's Web site cited an anonymous administration official and said the New York governor met with his top aides before making his statement.
"To say this is a shock is an understatement," said CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin, who went to law school with Spitzer.
Spitzer served as New York's attorney general for eight years before being elected governor.
Time magazine named him "Crusader of the Year" during his two terms as New York attorney general.
Tabloids labeled him "Eliot Ness," after the hero in the crime drama "The Untouchables," because of his reputation for rooting out corruption, busting white-collar criminals and tackling organized crime.
He was also known for prosecuting several prostitution rings, but now he's linked to a prostitution ring as a big money trick... known as the Emperor’s Club V.I.P., the ring 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.
He also worked as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan and worked for three New York law firms after receiving his law degree from Harvard.
The first-term Democrat had been considered a rising star among his party.
Spitzer is married and has three daughters and if he resigns, David A. Paterson New York’s lieutenant governor will take over. He’s Black and from Harlem.