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2008-03-10 -Lurid Crime Tales-
NY TIMES: Spitzer Is Linked to Prostitution Ring
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Posted by 3dc 2008-03-10 14:33|| || Front Page|| [4 views ]  Top

#1 Alright, alright. But can't we just Moveon.org?
Posted by Tom Daschle 2008-03-10 14:40||   2008-03-10 14:40|| Front Page Top

#2 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.

Well, yeah...but he didn't say he'd stop screwing around with hookers. Why's the Times being so picky?
Posted by tu3031 2008-03-10 14:47||   2008-03-10 14:47|| Front Page Top

#3 Cell Phone Record's tie him in as Client #9!
(NY SUN)
Posted by 3dc 2008-03-10 14:49||   2008-03-10 14:49|| Front Page Top

#4 Ha Ha!
Posted by Jitch, Scourge of the Veal Cutlets4098 2008-03-10 14:55||   2008-03-10 14:55|| Front Page Top

#5 Interesting: the Lt Gov is legally blind as well as being a person of color (Or so I recall reading).
Posted by OldSpook 2008-03-10 15:14||   2008-03-10 15:14|| Front Page Top

#6 Or was that legally color blind?
Posted by Fred 2008-03-10 15:30||   2008-03-10 15:30|| Front Page Top

#7 Fox's Greta has the Federal Complaint:
Illegal transfer of money interstate over wires
Text messaging and voice to arrange a crime (prost. visit in DC) over interstate wires.
Wire tapping.

His name is nowhere on the complaint and it is not an indictment. It is a complaint.
Posted by 3dc 2008-03-10 15:31||   2008-03-10 15:31|| Front Page Top

#8 All about unnamed client #9 - who NYT and Sun claim is the Governor.
Posted by 3dc 2008-03-10 15:32||   2008-03-10 15:32|| Front Page Top

#9 3 pages in lengthly document on client #9.
Posted by 3dc 2008-03-10 15:33||   2008-03-10 15:33|| Front Page Top

#10 room 871 in Mayflower hotel in DC.
Spitzer was registered in another room in the Mayflower that night.
Posted by 3dc 2008-03-10 15:35||   2008-03-10 15:35|| Front Page Top

#11 Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.
Posted by Rambler in California">Rambler in California  2008-03-10 15:41||   2008-03-10 15:41|| Front Page Top

#12 Now that you think of it political fund raising and prostitution do have an awful lot in common...

Except that with prostitution you expect to get screwed.
Posted by CrazyFool 2008-03-10 15:43||   2008-03-10 15:43|| Front Page Top

#13 Spitzer probably got his ego out of joint when he found out he wasn't Client Numba One.
Posted by ed 2008-03-10 15:44||   2008-03-10 15:44|| Front Page Top

#14 I feel sorry for the kids.
Posted by DoDo 2008-03-10 15:44||   2008-03-10 15:44|| Front Page Top

#15 NEW YORK - Gov. Eliot Spitzer, accused in news reports of being involved in a prostitution ring, apologized to his family and the public on Monday at a hastily called news conference. He did not elaborate on the story.

With his wife at his side, Spitzer told reporters that he "acted in a way that violates my obligations to my family."

"I have disappointed and failed to live up to the standard I expected of myself," he said. "I must now dedicate some time to regain the trust of my family."

Rehab? Jesus? Sex addiction treatment? Face up to his "demons"? I mean, it couldn't be his fault, right?
Posted by tu3031 2008-03-10 15:52||   2008-03-10 15:52|| Front Page Top

#16 Fox says 7pm EDT is bye bye time....
Posted by 3dc 2008-03-10 15:58||   2008-03-10 15:58|| Front Page Top

#17 Drudge scooped by NYT. High fives for Pynch.
Posted by Nimble Spemble 2008-03-10 16:04||   2008-03-10 16:04|| Front Page Top

#18 heh, only took 'em three paragraphs before mentioning he was a Democrat. I'm surprised they were so quick and too the point about it..
Posted by IG-88 2008-03-10 16:05||   2008-03-10 16:05|| Front Page Top

#19 Spitzer? Damn near killed her!

/Got nothin'
Posted by Mizzou Mafia 2008-03-10 16:11||   2008-03-10 16:11|| Front Page Top

#20 "acted in a way that violates my obligations to my family"

well, I guess that's one way to put it . . . if I was his wife, I would have a bit of trouble characterizing the relationship as an obligation, but that's just me

anyway, I think he looks like a creepy sleaze -- not suprised
Posted by ex-lib 2008-03-10 16:11||   2008-03-10 16:11|| Front Page Top

#21 I know it was you, Pinchy. You broke my heart. You broke my heart!
Posted by Client #9 2008-03-10 16:32||   2008-03-10 16:32|| Front Page Top

#22 This was NOT a prostitution ring.

My fellow Muslim citizens as well as the Imam at the local Albany mosque refer to these arrangements as "temporary marriages". These arrangements are neither illegal nor immoral in accord with the Koran and the example of the Prophet. Read your Koran, Hadith and Sira. I resent any other implication.

My name is Elliot Spitzer and I approve of this message.
Posted by Client # 9">Client # 9  2008-03-10 16:36||   2008-03-10 16:36|| Front Page Top

#23 NEW YORK - A law enforcement official has told The Associated Press that New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's involvement in a prostitution ring was caught on a federal wiretap.

The official says Spitzer is identified in court papers as "Client 9," and the wiretap was part of an investigation that opened in the last few months.

The official says the New York governor met last month with at least one woman in a Washington hotel. The law enforcement official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation.
Posted by tu3031 2008-03-10 16:40||   2008-03-10 16:40|| Front Page Top

#24 whose fees started at $5,500 per hour

Hope it was worth it.
Posted by ed 2008-03-10 16:46||   2008-03-10 16:46|| Front Page Top

#25 Sic transit gloria Guvo
Posted by mhw 2008-03-10 16:56||   2008-03-10 16:56|| Front Page Top

#26 whose fees started at $5,500 per hour

Are these attorneys we're talking about?
Posted by Nimble Spemble 2008-03-10 17:07||   2008-03-10 17:07|| Front Page Top

#27 "Are these attorneys we're talking about?"

On Retainer? - Yes
Similar Fee Structure Yes
Billed by the Minute (or next quarter-hour)- Yes

Although Once Again...

"with prostitution you expect to get screwed."
Posted by Mullah Richard 2008-03-10 17:26||   2008-03-10 17:26|| Front Page Top

#28 Jitch: Ha Ha!

You forgot to point! :-)
Posted by gorb 2008-03-10 17:37||   2008-03-10 17:37|| Front Page Top

#29 As Michelle Malkin pointed out:

Proverbs 16:18
Posted by DarthVader">DarthVader  2008-03-10 17:57||   2008-03-10 17:57|| Front Page Top

#30 Didn't Roger Miller have a song about this:
Client, Clinet Number 9,
Sending moeny doen the line,
What little nothin; did she have on...
(Sing along y'all, you know the words)

On the plus side: At least he wasn't chasing gay sex in some sleazy airport bathroom; not at $5500 an hour(HAHHAHAHAHAA)
Posted by USN, Ret. 2008-03-10 18:01||   2008-03-10 18:01|| Front Page Top

#31 I've been thinking about that $5,500 an hour.

Spitzer seems to have an affluent background, but not rich. And he's been a public servant all his life. So where does he get the cash to pay for a $5,500 trick? And really, we're talking about trickS; cause this sure isn't the first time. And how many times has it been? Since when?

So where's he getting the cash to pay the wenches?

And this outfit he's patronizing, is not some prostitution ring, it's Emperors Publishing Media Group with locations in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, London, Paris, and Europe. So these two other "prostitution rings" he busted in the '90s, were they competitors of EPMG? Did EPMG benefit in some way from these competitors being eliminated?

And what other enterprises is EPMG involved in with it's global reach and snazzy website

Enquiring minds want to know.
Posted by Nimble Spemble 2008-03-10 18:07||   2008-03-10 18:07|| Front Page Top

#32 I was thinking the same thing. Some benefactor paying the tab or Spitzer was diverting gov money. Though that would seem really stupid with gov auditors around.
Posted by ed 2008-03-10 18:32||   2008-03-10 18:32|| Front Page Top

#33 I doubt the diverting government money. But being on two payrolls does seem like a possibility. The names of clients 1-8 should be pretty interesting, too. Wonder if they got to double digits. Unfortunately, we'll probably only hear about the ones who violated the Mann Act, and I doubt there's that many dumb johns; but who'd have thought Spitzer was one?
Posted by Nimble Spemble 2008-03-10 18:43||   2008-03-10 18:43|| Front Page Top

#34 Billionair e Epstein gave Spitzer $50,000 to run for gov. Spitzer gave it back when Epstein got arrested in Palm Beach for using child prostitutes.

Friday, August 04, 2006


Posted by 3dc 2008-03-10 19:01||   2008-03-10 19:01|| Front Page Top

#35 MICHAEL J. GARCIA, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, MARK J. MERSHON, Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), and PATRICIA J. HAYNES, Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the United States Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigative Division (“IRSCID”), announced today the unsealing of charges against MARK BRENER, a/k/a “Michael,” CECIL SUWAL, a/k/a “Katie,” a/k/a “Kate,” TEMEKA RACHELLE LEWIS, a/k/a “Rachelle,” and TANYA HOLLANDER, a/k/a “Tania Hollander,” for their roles as organizers and managers of an international prostitution and money-
laundering ring called the Emperors Club VIP (the “Emperors Club”). All four defendants were charged with conspiracy to violate federal prostitution statutes; BRENER and SUWAL were also charged with conspiring to launder more than $1 million in illicit proceeds from the prostitution crimes. BRENER, SUWAL, LEWIS, and HOLLANDER were all arrested this morning, and are expected in Manhattan federal court later today for their initial appearances. According to the Complaint unsealed today:

BRENER, SUWAL, LEWIS, and HOLLANDER used the Emperors Club to arrange connections between wealthy male clients and more than 50 **nerds** in, among other places, New York, New York; Washington, D.C.; Los Angeles, California; Miami, Florida; London, England; and Paris, France. The defendants charged the clients fees ranging from $1,000 to more than $5,500 per hour for prostitution services.

The Emperors Club took in more than $1 million in illicit proceeds from its international prostitution business.

It accepted payment in the form of cash, American Express charges, wire transfers, and money orders. To conceal the illegal nature of the business, BRENER and SUWAL received prostitution proceeds in United States bank accounts in the names of front companies, including two accounts in the names of “QAT Consulting Group, Inc.,” and “QAT International, Inc.”

The Emperors Club advertised their prostitution services in part through the use of a website that included photographs of Emperors Club **nerds**’ bodies, with their faces hidden, along with hourly rates for different categories of **nerds**. The Website ranked the **nerds** using a ranking system from one to seven diamonds, and charged hourly rates according to the assigned ranking. According to the Website, the Emperors Club charged $1,000 per hour for a three-diamond prostitute, and $3,100 per hour for a seven-diamond prostitute.

The Website also offered the Emperors Club’s most valued clients “membership” in the “Icon Club,” a status which allowed the clients to access restricted areas of the Website and permitted them to schedule appointments with the most highly-ranked **nerds**, whose fees started at $5,500 per hour. According to the Website, in certain circumstances, the Emperors Club also offered its clients the opportunity to exercise a “buy-out clause,” which permitted them to purchase direct access to one of the Emperors Club’s **nerds** without having to contact the
agency.

BRENER was allegedly the leader of the Emperors Club, with ultimate decision-making authority. He recruited prospective **nerds**, determined how to market the Club’s **nerds** to clients, and resolved problems that arose.

SUWAL was the day-to-day organizer of the Club’s operations. She controlled the Emperors Club bank accounts,
supervised the booking agents, and received applications from the prospective **nerds**.

LEWIS and HOLLANDER were allegedly booking agents for the Club. They took requests from clients and coordinated
meetings with **nerds** over the telephone, and referred issues -2relating to payment to SUWAL.

In connection with today's takedown, the FBI and IRS-CID executed three search warrants on locations connected to the Emperors Club's operations and four seizure warrants for bank accounts containing proceeds of the organization's criminal activities.

BRENER, 62, and SUWAL, 23, both reside in New Jersey; LEWIS, 32, resides in Brooklyn, New York; and HOLLANDER, 36, resides in Rhinebeck, New York. If convicted, the defendants face maximum sentences of 5 years in prison on the count charging conspiracy to violate the federal prostitution statutes; BRENER and SUWAL face additional maximum sentences of 20 years in prison on the money-laundering conspiracy count.

Mr. GARCIA praised the investigative work of the FBI and IRS-CID.

Assistant United States Attorneys BOYD M. JOHNSON III, RITA GLAVIN, and DANIEL STEIN are in charge of the prosecution.

The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Posted by 3dc 2008-03-10 19:11||   2008-03-10 19:11|| Front Page Top

#36 
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Posted by 3dc 2008-03-10 19:23||   2008-03-10 19:23|| Front Page Top

#37 It's an iffy organization he was buying whores through. And the Feds got suspicious due to the possibility he was laundering corrupt money.

I wonder if the quick cop on the prostitution charge is meant to divert attention from deeper issues.
Posted by lotp 2008-03-10 19:48||   2008-03-10 19:48|| Front Page Top

#38 Spitzer's dad was a very smart cookie who bought real estate in Manhattan back in the day. So Eliot has access to a fair amount of family dough and has a rent-free pad on Central Park...
Posted by Seafarious 2008-03-10 19:51||   2008-03-10 19:51|| Front Page Top

#39 Linky.
Posted by Seafarious 2008-03-10 19:55||   2008-03-10 19:55|| Front Page Top

#40 That's too bad. As a Governor, Spitzer's been a major dumbass -- he damaged himself and Hillary with the whole driver's licenses for illegals. But he was very effective as a prosecutor cleaning up a lot of outright fraud and corruption on Wall Street.
Posted by DMFD 2008-03-10 20:07||   2008-03-10 20:07|| Front Page Top

#41 He is a fiscal idiot for using Emperor's Club when there are so many good choices on the erotic review.

He uses an international corporation instead of hooking up with some mid thirties single mom trying to make ends meet. He is an asshole for outsourcing.
Posted by Penguin 2008-03-10 20:19||   2008-03-10 20:19|| Front Page Top

#42 The ring is run by an international money laundering group who also donated $50,000 to his campaign.

But according to him it's a 'private' matter between him and his family.

Uh huh.

I hope this jerk who prided himself on being a 'bulldozer' has the book thrown at him: interstate money wiring in commission of a crime, interstate phone messages in planning a crime, the whole bit.

And not because of the whore. Because of his misuse of the state police from day one to try to attack the Republican leader in the state legislature, because of his intent to pervert the intent of the law re: drivers licenses for illegals and a bunch of related arrogance.
Posted by lotp 2008-03-10 20:29||   2008-03-10 20:29|| Front Page Top

#43 Em, Thanks for the additional background. Not being a New Yorker, I'd say that makes him rich, not affluent; although you can never be certain the way real estate types leverage themselves.

I would not, however, call him effective as a prosecutor; as a shakedown artist, sure but prosecutor? No. Name all the big name convictions he got in hard fought courtroom battles as opposed to pretrial settlements that saved everybody money. He was a bully whose luck ran out. Him and Lerach close to the slammer...I never thought I'd live to see such justice.
Posted by Nimble Spemble 2008-03-10 20:57||   2008-03-10 20:57|| Front Page Top

#44 "NY TIMES: Spitzer Is Linked to Prostitution Ring" -- wait, you mean OTHER than the Democrat Party?
Posted by Rob Crawford">Rob Crawford  2008-03-10 21:08||   2008-03-10 21:08|| Front Page Top

#45 "I must now dedicate some time to regain the trust of my family."

Sounds like lawyer talk. Let's make a deal. Might take the rest of his life to regain trust. Is there ever going to be enough time to regain the lost trust? I feel sorry for his family.

Posted by JohnQC 2008-03-10 21:08||   2008-03-10 21:08|| Front Page Top

#46 Team Hilliary Superdelegate...ha ha ha
Posted by Flaimble Sforza3265 2008-03-10 21:32||   2008-03-10 21:32|| Front Page Top

23:55 Jan
23:46 JosephMendiola
23:42 JosephMendiola
23:37 JosephMendiola
23:33 3dc
23:23 Icerigger
23:17 Rambler in California
23:10 bigjim-ky
22:38 ed
22:30 bigjim-ky
22:25 Huport Bourbon3420
22:11 JosephMendiola
22:06 JosephMendiola
21:58 ed
21:57 JosephMendiola
21:48 RD
21:45 RD
21:44 RD
21:43 JosephMendiola
21:40 JosephMendiola
21:38 Sherry
21:35 RD
21:32 Flaimble Sforza3265
21:31 ed









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