New York governor apologises over prostitution link

New York governor Eliot Spitzer has apologised to his family and the public following a report that he was involved in a multi-million pound worldwide prostitution ring.

The New York Times reported the politician had been caught on a federal wiretap arranging to meet a high-priced prostitute at a Washington hotel last month.

Mr Spitzer was one of the clients of the Emperors’ Club VIP operation, which was smashed by FBI agents last week, the newspaper reported.

A man and three women have been arrested, accused of running the ring for at least the last three years, US Attorney Michael Garcia said.

They charged up to £2,700 (€3,534) an hour for the services of its women and also had several London-based clients, the FBI said.

Yesterday, with his wife Silda at his side in his Manhattan office, Mr Spitzer said he wanted to address a “private matter”.

“I have acted in a way that violates my obligation to my family and violates my or any sense of right or wrong,” he said.

“I apologise first and most importantly to my family. I apologise to the public to whom I promised better.

“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.”

Mr Spitzer, 48, built his political reputation on rooting out corruption, including several headline-making battles with Wall Street while serving as attorney general.

He entered the governor’s office in 2006 with a historic share of the vote, vowing to continue his no-nonsense approach to fixing one of the nation’s worst governments.

Time magazine named him “Crusader of the Year” when he was attorney general.

However, his stint as governor has been marred by several problems, including an unpopular plan to grant driver’s licences to illegal immigrants.

Mr Spitzer had served two terms as attorney general where he pursued criminal and civil cases and cracked down on misconduct and conflicts of interests on Wall Street and in corporate America.

He had previously been a prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, handling organised crime and white-collar crime cases.

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.

Mr Spitzer said he had “tried to uphold a vision of progressive politics that would rebuild New York and create opportunity for all”.

He went on: “I do not believe that politics in the long run is about individuals. It is about ideas, the public good, and doing what is best for the state of New York.”

Last week, four people were charged with conspiracy to violate federal prostitution laws: Mark Brener, 62, and Cecil Suwal, 23, who live together in Cliffside Park, New Jersey; Temeka Rachelle Lewis, 32, of Brooklyn; and Tanya Hollander, 36, of Rhinebeck, New York.

Brener, accused of being the leader and recruiter of the prostitutes, and Suwal, accused of controlling the operation’s bank accounts, were also charged with conspiracy to launder more than a million dollars in illicit proceeds.

Lewis and Hollander were accused of arranging meetings between prostitutes and clients. They were released on bail.

The New York Times said a “person briefed on the federal investigation” identified Mr Spitzer as “Client 9” in court papers, which said that a wiretap telephone recording captured Client 9 confirming plans to have a woman travel from New York to Washington, where he had reserved a hotel room.