NY Governor Spitzer Is Linked to Prostitution Ring

My parting shot,

This Gov. was a big time lawyer, so he would be careful with his public statements. He applogized to his family and the public trust - only, I believe.

The alternative to tip of the iceberg theory is to get out early in the P.R. war. He didnt say he'd resign, he didnt offer a legal mia culpa. He has admitted no guilt really.

And what about his State Police Escort, they dont travel without them. Wouldn't the Gov just have his guy go and meet/escort the lady into the empty unlocked room; am I to believe that his protective service didnt check out an unlocked room with a waiting hooker prior to the Gov gettin it on? What if she was al queda?

I suppose that the NY troopers train with the Arkansas guys??
"Barney relax I am just going down the hall for a coke, back in two hours"

There is more to this than meets the eye IMHO. Will the guy step down from shear politcial embarrassment or will he face a prosecution he feels may never come? (- the affidavit linked prior is typical ATS GOLD STANDARD FBI)

IDK, but it will certainly take my mind off the inpending financial crisis/FisaTeleco immunity/Miers-Bolton suit/billions a week war



[edit on 10-3-2008 by scrapple]



[edit on 10-3-2008 by scrapple]

reply to post by GradyPhilpott

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
It was the money.

The FBI wasn't trying to get Spitzer.

They were after the call-girl agency that operated across state lines.

Spitzer was just using the wrong agency.

Correct. The last sentence on p.31 of the complaint shows that they were after a money laundering operation.

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
Still, it was an extremely stupid thing to do on his part, given his family, his status, his position, and his reputation.

I'm surprised Wall St. didn't have a ticker-tape parade today.

What's worse is that the two Democrats who I've heard dismiss virtually every egregious act of every Democrat in office for the last decade, Ellis Hennican and Susan Estrich, couldn't muster even one good word about the man.

It was very weird to hear both these commentators blasting away at Spitzer, when they are usually the ones to dismiss sexual indiscretions as nobody's business.

I think that bodes ill for Spitzer and just highlights how few friends he has, not only in politics, but the media.

[edit on 2008/3/11 by GradyPhilpott]

It's not his fault one bit.

He was under duress by all those high paid escorts.

Can he plead duress?

Originally posted by scrapple
My parting shot,

This Gov. was a big time lawyer, so he would be careful with his public statements. He applogized to his family and the public trust - only, I believe.

He is only apologizing because he got caught. Every politician is so sorry after they get caught.

It's not about the apologizes, it's about the law.

Don't let all the BS "Red Herrings" distract the real issue here.

But seriously, what kind of legal penalties does he face? Sure, his political career is finished, but other than that, what, a misdemeanor charge of soliciting?

Yes, it makes him a hypocrite.

That being said it does not negate the guilt of the people he prosecuted.

Were you trying to make any other point?

Everyone back to what you were doing.





P.S.

We'll see how many posts get milked for this, I'll check back in a couple of days.

reply to post by harddrive21

Originally posted by jsobecky
But seriously, what kind of legal penalties does he face? Sure, his political career is finished, but other than that, what, a misdemeanor charge of soliciting?

they usually don't go after the johns in these cases but Spitzer, the Governor of New York and a crusader against prostitution and corruption violated the Mann act. Bringing hookers across state lines for sex is a bit worse than simply hiring a local hooker.

I toss this in just because it's ATS and I am left wondering why the most straight-laced crime fighter lost his mind so thoroughly when he knows how things go down, how they get busted, everyone wanted to get him and he had everything to lose...

cryptogon.com...

— BEGIN WILD SPECULATION —
This is probably a FBI counterintelligence operation targeting a Mossad HUMINT operation. The fact that the U.S. is going with prostitution/money laundering probably indicates that some kind of deal has been worked out between the U.S. and Israeli governments.
Non official cover intelligence operations are a BIG “no no” in the spooky relationships between friendly states. (Remember how Helen Clark threw the book at Israel when New Zealand intelligence busted a Mossad operation redhanded—involving passports!) On the other hand, it wouldn’t maintain the right appearances if the U.S. went with espionage charges against a guy with ties to Israel—who was busier than a one legged man in an asskicking contest—compromising government officials in something like four countries. Yes, let’s definitely leave out the part about compromising government officials. Money laundering. Prostitution. Got it? Good.
The fact that this honeypot was running in Britain, France and Austria, as well as the U.S., probably made it an even more succulent target for U.S. intelligence. My guess is that Israel put all the time and effort into compromising powerful government officials and businessmen, and now U.S. intelligence will reap the benefits. So, the people who were compromised are still compromised. What has changed is name of the intelligence agency that’s holding the “goods” over the heads of the assets.
CIA will be able to place a horse’s head in some guy’s bed with him, along with a note that says something like, “If you think we’re kidding, just remember what happened to Client #9. We’ve got you down as Client #X,” or something like that, along with frame grabs from the appropriate video tape or tapes, etc.
— END WILD SPECULATION —

I was also wondering why there was a Federal wiretap on a prostitution ring, usually that is state. The PTB strikes again?

Originally posted by kosmicjack
I was also wondering why there was a Federal wiretap on a prostitution ring, usually that is state. The PTB strikes again?

perhaps the prostitution ring was a cog in a bigger machine. think about who the feds go after. perhaps they were investigating a bigger fish and the prostitution ring was part of the bigger fish's empire. Spitzer wasn't the target and, if her weren't a politician, and he didn't violate the Mann Act, he might have simply been brushed aside. His holier than thou attitude and his unforgiving stance on corruption just makes this all the more interesting. Sadly, when the news first broke, cheers broke out on the floor of the Stock Exchange. Quite possibly the only good to come out of this is that NYS is about a week away from having its first Black Governor. A barrier will be broken and that is always a good thing.

Absolute power corrupts...

Absolutely.

Time to be a man and take what is coming to you.

reply to post by Crakeur


Actually, it's quite simpler than that, I believe. The Feds will naturally get involved when the crime crosses State lines, as this one did.

Originally posted by themillersdaughter
Legalize it, tax it, wipe out the Federal deficit!

I agree, it should be legal and regulated. However, as it still stands, the law is the law. He violated it, and it is even more aggressous than an ordinary john doing it, since he is the chief law enforcement officer in the state of New York.

If he had just slept with a prostitute, I would not care (but like I said, the law is the law). But this was a huge prostitution ring, with Spitzer had intimate knowledge of, and allowed it to operate. That is the very definition of corruption.

Hey all

comeon easy now lol,
He is just injecting money back into the US economy
hell of a method though... lol

Omega

reply to post by chromatico


the feds were already listening in when they recorded the conversations. Using your line of thinking, they wouldn't have been able to record the conversations until after learning that he planned on bringing her to DC. They were recording for a while before they picked up this piece and I don't think they knew who he was at the time.

On a side note, I'm curious as to how his friend and political contributor, George Fox, feels about Spitzer now, knowing that Spitzer used his name for his trysts and for the transactions.

I just read this on Rawstory and I find it very intersting

Lawyer questions whether Spitzer was set up, noting political prosecutions

Later that day, however, ABC News' Brian Ross revealed that federal sources said the prosecution stemmed from an investigation of Spitzer's finances -- not from the prostitution ring.

"The suspicious financial activity was initially reported by a bank to the IRS which, under direction from the Justice Department, brought kin the FBI's Public Corruption Squad," Ross wrote.

"We had no interest at all in the prostitution ring until the thing with Spitzer led us to learn about it," a Justice Department official told Ross.

Tuesday's Times added: "The rendezvous that established Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s involvement with high-priced prostitutes occurred last month in one of Washington’s grandest hotels, but the criminal investigation that discovered the tryst began last year in a nondescript office building opposite a Dunkin’ Donuts on Long Island... There, in the Hauppauge offices of the Internal Revenue Service, investigators conducting a routine examination of suspicious financial transactions reported to them by banks found several unusual movements of cash involving the governor of New York, several officials said."

So he was being investigated by the IRS first. Thats when they noticed the prostitution. So why was he being investigated by the IRS. They say because of money movement from one account to another, which is the banking world would cause alarm if you were indeed "structuring" which is to take money out in a pattern that would be just below the threshold of $10,000 to avoid doing paper work at the bank for the large amount of cash this also includes structuring of wire transfers and account to account transfers too.

Money Transfer cause Probe



[edit on 11-3-2008 by whoreallyknows]
edited to add link

[edit on 11-3-2008 by whoreallyknows]
edit for spelling

[edit on 11-3-2008 by whoreallyknows]

New York Republicans, it seems, are planning to impeach Spitzer, if he doesn't resign. Their rationale is that with this baggage and the possibility of his indictment, he is impaired in his role of Governor.

That's the word from one of the New York legislators who was just interviewed on Fox.

TEDISCO: We're going to have to ask the speaker to start impeachment proceedings. The impeachment proceedings for the constitution of the state of New York have to start with the speaker in the Assembly, and we'll give him 48 hours. If he doesn't resign, we'll request that.

www.foxnews.com...

[edit on 2008/3/11 by GradyPhilpott]

More interesting tidbits...

Mark Brener, the 62-year-old alleged ring leader from Monmouth Junction, NJ, along with his girlfriend and alleged top madam, 23-year-old Cecil "Katie" Suwal, , from Cliffside Park, NJ, both face up to five years in prison on prostitution charges and 20 years behind bars for money laundering.

Authorities raided Brener's home early yesterday and found $600,000 in cash and 19,000 in Euros in various safes, prosecutors said.

Brener, they said, had two Israeli passports in addition to his US passport.

Two Israeli passports

Hookergate

[edit on 11-3-2008 by whoreallyknows]

It seems that Spitzer has so betrayed the public trust, especially as he has based his political persona on ethics that the calls for his resignation will be relentless.

TEDISCO: Well, just a tremendous body blow. I think if I had to describe it, it probably broke the heart of every New Yorker in New York state. Unbelievable, we're saddened. We're disappointed. We're shocked. But we're also angered. I mean, this is a governor who had unbelievable tremendous potential, bright, intelligent, articulate. Many individuals thought he was on his way to the White House from the New York state executive position.

The hallmark of his leadership here was ethics, and he has really breached that political situation in terms of ethics by involving himself in this terrible situation. Our hearts and prayers certainly go out to his wife, his children, and his family. But we have the New York state government to think about, and we have to go forward now, and so we're calling for the governor, because we believe he's been compromised now, to really decide to leave that position, and to resign and allow us to go forward with our government.

TEDISCO: We're going to have to ask the speaker to start impeachment proceedings. The impeachment proceedings for the constitution of the state of New York have to start with the speaker in the Assembly, and we'll give him 48 hours. If he doesn't resign, we'll request that.

www.foxnews.com...

His hanging on to his post is a ploy to save his own skin, rather than an action in the public interest and a direct contradiction of this statement taken from his "apology."

SPITZER: I do not believe 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.

thinkprogress.org...

[edit on 2008/3/11 by GradyPhilpott]

I still can't believe he has not come out and officaly resigned yet. The man has proven himself to be a complete hypocrite, you'd think he'd want to step aside away from the fire LOL