Login HereA source familiar with the investigation into the Emperor's Club prostitution ring says that the defendants in the case are the head of the club, the day-to-day business manager and two booking agents. Further, the case has apparently been done for quite a while, and the US Attorney in charge -- Michael Garcia -- "has been tearing his hair out" trying to get someone higher up at the DoJ in Washington to look at the prosecution memo and sign off, because of the need to get their authorization before indicting a public figure.
Garcia continued to pursue the case pending the authorization for indictment (a common prosecutorial practice), which is how the February 13 encounter (below) was included in the complaint. There are also evidently surveillance reports of Spitzer entering the hooker's hotel room, in addition to audio tapes from the wiretaps.
The source also indicates that there has been consideration given to charging Spitzer with the MANN act because the prostitutes evidently crossed state lines, which is supported in the way the complaint was drawn -- specifically mentioning "interstate travel" in the subheading.
It appears Spitzer is "Client 9" in the complaint:
83. At approximately 9:32 p.m., TEMEKA RACHELLE LEWIS, a/k/a "Rachelle," the defendant, using the 6587 Number, received a call from "Kristen." During the call, "Kristen" said that she was in the room. LEWIS told "Kristen" that she would call her back when she knew when Client-9 would be there. (Call 9734$).
84. At approximately 9:36 p.m., TEMEKA RACHELLE LEWIS, a/k/a Rachelle," the defendant, using the 6587 Number, received a call from "Kristen." During the call, LEWIS told "Kristen" that "he," a reference to Client-9, was at the hotel. "Kristen" told LEWIS that she just talked to him. "Kristen" said that Client-9 was coming to her. LEWIS told "Kristen" that Client-9 should be giving her "extra," and that the extra should be deposited into ____. LEWIS told "Kristen" to text her when he arrived and Lewis would start the four hours then, and also to let her know if he left early. (Call 9741$).
85. On February 14, 2008, at approximately 12:02 a.m., TEMEKA RACHELLE LEWIS, a/k/a "Rachelle," the defendant, received a call from "Kristen." During the all, "Kristen" told LEWIS that "he," a reference to Client-9, had left. LEWIS asked "Kristen" what time he got there, and "Kristen" said "15 after...maybe 10." LEWIS asked "Kristen" how she thought the appointment when, and "Kristen" said that she thought it went very well. LEWIS asked "Kristen" how much she collected, and "Kristen" said $4,300. "Kristen" said that she liked him, and that he did not think he was difficult. "Kristen" stated: "I don't think he's difficult. i mean it's just kind of like..whatever...I'm here for a purpose. I know what my purpose is. I a not a..moron, you know what I mean. So maybe that's why the girls maybe think they're difficult...." "Kristen" continued: "That's what it is, because you're here for a [purpose]. Let's not get it twisted -- I know what you do, you know." LEWIS responded: "You look at it very uniquely, because...no one ever says it that way." LEWIS continued that from what she had been told "he" (believed to be a reference to Client-9) "would ask you to do things that, like, you might not think were safe -- you know -- I mean that...very basic things...."Kristen" responded: "I have a way of dealing with that...I'd be like listen dude, you really want the sex?...You know what I mean."
Paul Kiel has more on how the investigation began. Mark Ambinder says that money laundering for the Gambino family may have been involved.
And sadly, "Bring Some Passion Back to Albany" it was Spitzer's 2006 campaign message (see YouTube).
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Jane!
Tweety is doing contortions to try to tie this scandal to Hillary.
Vice President Howard Dean!
Left this downstairs as well…rumor floated that Spitzer’s gonna resign tonight:
http://wcbstv.com/breakingnews.....73848.html
Could be NY Gov Paterson by beddy-bye time. Paterson sounds pretty cool from just a quick skim of his bio:
http://www.ny.gov/ltgov/index.html
Boy those people at wiki are quick.
Gad, what an idiot!
I guess Spitzer doesn’t take much seriously: his life, his career, his family, and the fact that the Bush Justice Department is all politics, wiretapping everybody they can.
Wake up, America!
Spitzer should hand over the office to his Lt. Gov. Paterson.
Today.
Now.
Dang! Go off to a meeting and this happens. I was off line till a little while ago. I can’t believe he did this. It wouldn’t be a problem if was a politician for down South but in New York! Adios I think.
Is that what they are calling it now? So how often did Spitzer go to have his purpose purposed?
I’m having so much fun with this one, just to show that I’m non-partisan when it comes to bad behavior. Part of my enjoyment is that it confirms my spotting Spitzer as a bad guy as soon as Troopergate came out (same bullying tactics he used to get corps to sign plea agreements*). I particularly didn’t want him going farther in D politics because I felt that he’d eventually gives Ds a bad name.
Now I’d have wished that he would have gone more quietly into the night but better sooner than later.
*Jane, or CHS, or emptywheel: Do you know what % of his cases ended with plea agreements and what % were actually tried? I remember almost none of the latter, but CNBC mentioned one today (Greenberg?) where the verdict was “not guilty.”
Passion?? Is that what they call it in Fairfax County?
Wonder if this hurts the Dems chance in state elections. And after reading Scott Horton’s piece on the DOJ, wonder what political considerations went into the timing of the indictment. Ken Silverstein wonders too
Speculation on CNBC earlier that Paterson wouldn’t want to take over a flamed-out administration.
It that were to happen, Spitzer arch-enemy State Senator Bruno would become gov. Now ain’t that irony?
Guess we’re not gonna hear much about the contempt of congress lawsuit on the teebee today. Pity.
Hmmmmm….
From the transcript above: “…I a not a..moron, you know what I mean. So maybe that’s why the girls maybe think they’re difficult….”
Would “they’re” be politicians the prostitute is talking about? Could be. I wonder how many more are wrapped up in this prostitution ring. If there’s republicans involved, will their names be divulged too?
$4300?
I just can’t believe Spitzer or Paterson would let things go to where Bruno gets the governorship.
It’s comforting to know that all the wire tapping that is going on around the country is starting to pay big dividends.
Well, nice to now in the age of the GWOT and terrorists everywhere that the US attorney’s office in New York (biggest target) has nothing better to do than target prostitutes and their Johns.
When are they going to prosecute Bush for his 22 overnite visits with Jeff Gannon Guckert, a male prostitute?
NPR reporting that Spitzer was caught in a probe. Why is it that everything one says about this sounds like a double entendre?
No, no, no. He’s really into marine life (no, not the Gannon/Guckert type), and he looking for a porpoise. He wanted to Free his Willy.
What is known about the U.S. Attorney? Is he trying to make his “bones” for further office in the Republiclan Party.
Could you have believed at 2pmEDT today that Spitzer would have gotten caught with his pants down? *g*
Yuck, Tuck is on the toobz
The case is about Emperor Club laundering money for the mob.
Actually, this is proof that the hassle of getting a warrant doesn’t prevent the Federal Bureau of Investigation from doing their jobs.
I don’t suppose Spitzer’s being a Dem had anything to do with it. I’m just asking.
http://www.washingtonmonthly.c.....010882.php
They found 309 investigations, broken down as follows:
*
Democrats: 262
*
Republicans: 37
*
Independents: 10
Now isn’t that odd? At the local level, even though both parties make up about half of all elected officials, Democrats get hammered and Republicans are left alone. Shields and Cragan offer up the following hypothesis:
We believe that this tremendous disparity is politically motivated and it occurs because the local (non-statewide and non-Congressional) investigations occur under the radar of a diligent national press. Each instance is treated by a local beat reporter as an isolated case that is only of local interest….[Conversely] because the investigations of state-wide and federal elected officials and candidates occurred within the radar of the national press, there was little room for nefarious, out-of-line investigations for political purposes on the part of the Bush Justice Department.
And who does these investigations? Why, U.S. Attorneys, the very group that Alberto Gonzales has been busily trying to make even more partisan. Apparently a 262-37 break
Love that.
Yep,as per usual; sex will trump anything important as far as the “news” media is concerned.
Isn’t taking over the role of Lt Gov? I don’t see how Paterson has a choice. That’s why he’s there in the first place.
According to TPM, they renewed the wire tap on Feb. 11 because of a tip.
Oh the irony. Passion for Albany. No com”passion” for Spitzer.
Yes he should resign. He has all but admitted he is guilty. Prostitution is illegal in most parts of this country including NY.
For me the biggest irony is the fact that for the most part the men like Spitzer who pay to buy sex never get prosecuted, while the prostitutes go to jail. Both break the law, but only one really pays the price. Until that unfair system changes, expect business as usual. I would be willing to bet that if the Spitzers of this world were also sent to jail in the same numbers as those they paid for their services, things would change pretty quickly.
Mike Garcia is a Chertoff protoge
Couldn’t Paterson resign?
Bullies never go quietly.
Spitzer has had one of the most phenomenal political flameouts ever.
Heckuva jop Spitzy.
-G
DING!!
Yeah, you’re right about both.
That speaks volumes. Politicization of the DOJ is working out very well for these people.
Above and beyond the Chertoff bit, what is Garcia’s reputation? Straight up prosecutor or political hatchet potential? What kind of low down on Garcia can you provide? Heh heh I was even asking for you over at EW!
Rove was pounding his pud to the secret Whitehouse Bush/Cheney tip line no doubt.
Smells pretty funny to me.
-G
It also shows that the FBI’s were looking at text messages as well as cell phone taps across state lines. Did they have Client-9’s office lines tapped also? how about his home? And all to prove he was having sex for $. Where is the Mob info? Where is that prosecution at?
If Rs outed Spitzer, it’s better it happen now than closer to election.
What makes you think it wouldn’t be a problem down South? Believe me, Reub, or Dem, we in most of the South would throw his posterior out the door.
LHP
Do you have any idea what % of Spitzer’s cases were plea arrangements and what % were actually tried?
I was just thinking this as well. Shouldn’t dominate headlines for too long.
He should resign after Larry Craig resigns.
Make that Repub, not Reub.
The tendency among Republics is to select gay partners and prostitutes. Interesting for such a Christian crowd.
Depends on whether/when Spitzer resigns.
I wonder how many of the “Johns” were also doing steroids? LOL
yeah.
and just for THAT! the “not taking anything seriously”, KNOWING Bu$hCo is DIGGING for this kind of thing on that kind of politician!
How dumb does it GET?!?
Well, maybe not in LA. Vitter and don’t forget the infamous Edwin Edwards quote about what it would take for him to lose an election
Is that the ‘dead woman or live boy’ line?
-G
This is a bio from the White House site on Garcia. Garcia is also involved in the Bernie Kerik prosecution.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/gove.....m-bio.html
If there is a silver lining in the Spitzer affair it could be that when Fox News has his photo on air they just might have “Republican” Governor under his picture.
OK, Spitzer.
Let’s have it all out.
*sigh* his poor wife standing next to him looking shell shocked. I hate that she even had to be there
How come Ted Haggard is still able to keep his job? And does Haggard still make Monday visits to Bush?
Huh. I wonder.
Yep…
LOL, knew someone would bring this up. Don’t you know its okay if you’re a republican?
By the way, I’m from NC. We recently sent our Dem Speaker packing off to jail. Believe me, Spitzer wouldn’t last through the day were he in NC. We may talk slow, but we’re not stupid.
Mike Garcia was the “second seat” to Dave Kelley during the prosecution of the first WTC bombing. He is a nice enough guy, pleasent polite.
He went with Chertoff and took over what used be called “Immigartion and Naturalization” , spent a lot of money (or so I’m told) on a study about how to improve professionlism and moral in the service and came up withthe idea to change the mname to something cool like “ICE”.
The agents all got new windbreakers and for a yaer I heard them bitching about how silly the name change was.
Although he is the USA in SDNY supposedly he is almost never there and is usually to be found in DC. Thta’s not such a bad thing b/c the senior staff in SDNY is very good (especailly the wildly respected Cathy Sibel, who has just been nomitd tobe a federal judge)
he’s not the sharpest knife inthe drawer, but is generally seen as nice guy, except that he tends to do what Chertoff tells him to. As I recall, when he was a baby AUSA, he wanted to be a big mob prosecutor, but there was pretty slim pickins in NYC by the time he got the top spot, so if there is a Gambino connection, I can see why it would appeal to him.
If there is some neferious politica motive here (and we don’t know that yet) I would look for forces more aligned with Chertoff or even Christie.
One thing that DOES concern me though is, how is it that Mike Bloomberg has been talking about running for governor forhte last 3 weeks? It seemed oddly premature to me at the time, now it makes me wonder if somebody leaked ot Bloomie?
Hmmmm….:
“Further, the case has apparently been done for quite a while, and the US Attorney in charge — Michael Garcia — “has been tearing his hair out” trying to get someone higher up at the DoJ in Washington to look at the prosecution memo and sign off, because of the need to get their authorization before indicting a public figure.”
Now, you know that rules are different for Republics.
Double standard, i.e. Vitter?
LOL Well, if one talks slow, usually most can understand what they’re saying, correct? ;-)
Spitzer should resign, but really, if we look over the last eight years the bar is pretty damn low for anyone to be forced to resign at this point. Hell, anything goes pretty much! Got a 15 year old of the same sex meeting you on Sundays for some whoopie in the park? Perfect! You get the Committee of your choice and a pay raise!
*shaking head*
Percentages, no, but I do recall that during the governor’s race someone complaining that he had pled most of them out and that he had bullied those plea.
The bullying crack seemed funny to me b/c the white collar cases all involved very high priced defense lawyers. Youcan’t bully them, they live to bill on endless motions.
Tuesday’s with Haggie.
-G
McLatchey reporting 8 US soldiers killed in Iraq today.
Ding!! I thought the same thing. Bloomberg must have known this was coming down the pike.
Who leaked Spitzer’s name from Client #9? That is the question in my mind.
Somebody in DOJ? Who had access to his name?
Katy. Agree. Shakes head too. My feeling is to throw all the corrupt bast***s under the bus, regardless of party affiliation, and be done with it.
So does this mean Bloomberg’s name is not on the list? He use a different service or something?
But financial corps have reputations. That’s the source of the success of the bullying tactic. I can see Boards of Directors saying: Just make it go away.
How dare anyone accuse the Bush DOJ of being even involved in the slightest hint of political prosecutions?
For shame.
If I were Spitzer I’d mention Don Siegleman in my final presser.
-G
you know what else? this kind of makes me wonder what I’ve been wondering for some time now, and that is just exactly how many wiretaps, with or without warrants are in place on democrats, the democratic party, any democratic organizations and big league donors? All in the name of national security. look at what Nixon was doing, after all.
I think the actual quote was “dead girl or live boy,” but you got the gist of it.
That’s right. Those were the words.
I know.
Sigh.
I watched it with the sound off, and you know he struck me as an angry guy who is looking for someone else to blame for this. Like maybe his wife.
Thanks, and I agree there is no direct evidence of anything improper here yet, Have been mostly keeping a lid on that at EW; but the fact that the case was considered done and ready to go and THEN they renewed the wiretap one day before they rolled up Spitzer on tape, coupled with the lead involvement of PIN group out of SDNY is starting to get my curiosity going…
Considering that some of the other numbered clients were tossing down $50K for 3 day events with the girls travelling to Europe for them, I’d be kinda curious to know who all those other clients were.
With money like to burn, at least a couple must be well known names. dontcha think?
and when these pols get busted like this, are they required to go down tout suite and get tested???? and their spouses and any other potential partners?????
Hell, Hugh. he’s got ‘em on his payroll! ;)
Ah, yeah, I think!
So, if the Quantico circuit allowed access…”somebody” else could have been watching what was going on in the FBI and then “somebody” might just call a reporter and leak this stuff. Somewhere it is written in the DOJ documents the names of the clients, and “somebody” probably is not someone directly involved in the case.
Who benefits?
As I mentioned on an earlier thread, it ain’t Joe Shmuckola layin’ down from $1K to $5.5k per hour for a call girl.
I know. Tricky business.
I can’t even imagine what was going through her head. I get sad everytime they flash the presser.
It’s one thing when Republicans who preach “moral values” 24/7 are caught up in a sex scandal. It just shows them for the hypocrites that they are. Democrats by and large, however, do not play the “holier than thou” card. In such a case the issue of “hypocrisy” is moot but it does draw attention to America’s puritanical attitudes on sex. What happens between two consenting adults should be no one’s business but their own.
OT but unsurprising, from a recent GAO report on defense contractors
http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08169high.pdf
Resignation watch in Albany.
This has been going on for a long time in various agencies. Started under Clinton, but Bush made a big push to outsource as much as possible - even in Procurement.
Sad for Spitzer, his family and those who looked to him for progressive leadership. As Digby notes, individuals all have frailties. The cause should not depend on any single person. Progressives take that seriously. It’s authoritarian Goopers who believe discovering frailty reveals the devil among us only when it’s a Democrat, but see only the lord’s forgiveness when their own are outed as sexual predators or diaper-wearing dynamos who need a dominatrix.
Odd, though, how the upper echelons in the DOJ ignored for so long a case about public officials visiting prostitutes in Washington, DC. Did they relent when they found a Democrat in the rolodex, or did they just need a color-coded distraction from more important things? Still, prosecuting a public official for vice or corruption can’t be a welcome precedent for this DOJ. Let’s see how professionally everyone deal with this and keep our eyes on more substantitve issues.
My heart goes out to Silda. She is a lovely person,intelligent and has been a credit to him. This was not the right way to treat her.
LOL Tuesdays with Haggie…
Bah hahahahahaha!
Hoping that Spitzer holds out and doesn’t cave to the pressure the media is putting on him so they can run with their “resignation” stories.
Kos is saying if Spitzer resigns, Hillary will be losing another superdelegate, since Elliot endorsed her a long time ago. Paterson is already counted in Hillary’s super total. She already cleaned up her Web site by removing any mention of Spitzer:
http://www.radaronline.com/exc.....sement.php
I totally agree. The feeling of “groundlessness” when that happens is unimaginable. You think you know somebody, you trust them, and then your reality just vanishes, and it takes a long time to get a grip on it. Devastating.
I have a sneaking suspicion that as we get closer to the election, the Bush Regime will pull all their rabbits out of their hats, meaning, they’ll divulge what they’ve found through illegal wiretapping on the Democrats and will bring out the dogs…Newt Gingrich, Jeb Bush, or some other Crazy to take McCrazy’s place.
They’ve been waiting to show us what they’ve found. Bastards.
I want to see the rest of this case with these “hookers”. Wasn’t this supposed to be a money laundering mob operation?
How does that work?
Yup. The thing is to try not to fall for it. Their actions are so much worse than any kind of sex scandal could ever be.
Their hands are covered in blood.
That’s one thing the blogs are good for. We point out the hypocrisy of these assholes. Of course, they have the ROM (republican owned media) on their side to keep it quiet. When a Democrat gets in trouble, the media coverage is relentless.
Nothing a cast iron skillet might not rectify. ok okk I know violence isn’t the answer but I just want to take a book or something against his head and scream , “How could you do that to your family?”
I have a theory about this, because of something I read about what they allegedly found along with a bunch of money in the apartment of one of the indicted, but I can’t substantiate it yet, so I’m not going to go there. I smell a set-up - an international set-up. Who benefits?
Except when they make it your business by doing it in the public restroom stall next to yours.
Someone had a link to the emperor whatever site in one of EW’s threads
http://emperors-spokesmodels.c.....folio.html
Curiously, it’s down.
I think it’s clear Spitzer will never be president, because we now know who he’d be on the phone with at 3am. LOL
LS - You’re being a tease.
I wonder how Tom Delay’s international prositute ring is coming along? Or was that a sweatshop ring where the young girls are being brutally raped by their employers? Can’t remember.
The Mob supplies the money and the hookers. It makes sense as a money-laundering thing. Who would pay that much just to have sex?
Four people from uhhhh…Brooklyn and NJ…run an international prostitute ring with high-profile, rich “clients” and they get focused on and caught using domestic spying…then, the first client’s name is leaked, and he’s a Dem politician….
I think they only made $1 million or something.
OT
a fellow master gardener just sent this to me, it is incredibly COOL
figured maybe people could use a flower break.–
here’s the instructions he wrote with the email-only takes a second to do it.
Click on the below link. You will get a black
page. Click your mouse anywhere (& everywhere) on the page & see what
happens! Better yet, click & drag your mouse over the black page… The more
you click, or hold the mouse, the more flowers will
grow!
Enjoy!!
http://www.procreo.jp/labo/flower_garden.swf
Sorry…I don’t want to say what it was, because “it” might not be true, I don’t know where to look to find out if it is true or not…it might just be some CT stuff, you know.