N.Y. Times: New York governor linked to prostitution
NEW YORK (AP) -- Gov. Eliot Spitzer has told senior advisers that he had been involved in a prostitution ring, The New York Times reported Monday, citing an anonymous top administration official.
New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer has admitted involvement in a prostitution ring, The New York Times reports.
Spitzer, who is married with three daughters, was scheduled to make an announcement Monday afternoon. Spitzer officials wouldn't immediately comment on the story.
The Times reported that a person with knowledge of the governor's role believes the governor is identified as a client in court papers. Four people allegedly connected to a high-end prostitution ring called Emperors Club VIP were arrested last week.
The Web site of the Emperors Club VIP displays photographs of scantily clad women with their faces hidden, along with hourly rates depending on whether the prostitutes were rated with one diamond, the lowest ranking, or seven diamonds, the highest. The most highly ranked prostitutes cost $5,500 an hour, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said the defendants arranged connections between wealthy men and more than 50 prostitutes in New York, Washington, D.C.; Los Angeles, California; Miami, Florida; London, England; and Paris, France.
The Times reported that the governor's travel records show he was in Washington in mid-February, and that one of the clients arranged to meet with a prostitute on the night of February 13.
The case is being handled by prosecutors in the Public Corruption unit of U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia's office. Garcia spokeswoman Yusill Scribner said the office had no comment.
Spitzer, 48, built his political legacy on rooting out corruption, including several headline-making battles with Wall Street while serving as attorney general. He stormed into 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 had named him "Crusader of the Year" when he was attorney general and the tabloids proclaimed him "Eliot Ness."
But his stint as governor has been marred by several problems, including an unpopular plan to grant driver's licenses to illegal immigrants and a plot by his aides to smear Spitzer's main Republican nemesis.
Spitzer had been expected to testify to the state Public Integrity Commission he had created to answer for his role in the scandal, in which his aides were accused of misusing state police to compile travel records to embarrass Senate Republican leader Joseph Bruno.
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 organized crime and white-collar crime cases.
His cases as state attorney general included a few criminal prosecutions of prostitution rings and into tourism involving prostitutes.
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.
OH SNAP! anyone else thing of the wire season 2 right away?
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which is a shame, since he really is a very intelligent man. i don 't necessarily agree with all his politics, but he definitely understood the financial world very well. I've heard him speak on multiple occassions (last time on the very trip he took to washington, which was subsequently recorded) and he greatly impressed me. this said, i think we've all had enough of morally corrupt politicians. if the wire taught me anything, it's that poltical corruption is just the tip of the ice berg and in fact political careers are never buried until they're buried. i think we can thank a long string of washington mayors for proving that in the real world.
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Last edited by GocartMozart : 03-10-2008 at 11:59 PM.
Man, I wish this story would drop out of the news cycle. Quickly. Noticed that a lot of folks are talking advantage it for political gain and ridicule and its only ruining lives.
Quote:
NEW YORK (CNN) -- When the Emperors Club VIP said it was sending Kristen, a call girl it described as a "petite, very pretty brunette, 5 feet 5 inches, and 105 pounds," Client 9 was pleased.
"Great, OK, wonderful," he told the escort service's booking agent, according to a federal affidavit.
Client 9, later revealed to be New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, was caught arranging the liaison on a federal wiretap. It was the beginning of the end for him.
For the woman at the heart of the prostitution scandal, it was just another step on what she calls an "odyssey" of degrading abuse and high aspirations.
Court documents reportedly identified Ashley Youmans -- now known as Ashley Alexandra Dupre -- as Kristen, the high-priced prostitute who met with Spitzer at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington on February 13.
Dupre is a 22-year-old would-be singer from New Jersey, the New York Times reported Wednesday.
She has not been charged with any crime.
Dupre made a brief appearance Monday in U.S. Magistrate Court as a witness against four people charged with operating Emperor's Club VIP, the prostitution ring, the Times said.
Spitzer announced his resignation Wednesday as governor of New York, two days after reports of his connection to the Emperors Club VIP emerged.
Dupre told the Times she's mostly gone without sleep since the case became public.
"I just don't want to be thought of as a monster," Dupre told the newspaper. She revealed little else in the interview, but her MySpace page offered some insight into her background. Watch a report on Dupre »
Dupre writes that she left home at 17 to begin "my odyssey to New York."
"It was my decision, and I've never looked back," she writes. "Left my hometown. Left a broken family. Left abuse. Left an older brother who had already split. Left and learned what it was like to have everything, and lose it, again and again.
"Learned what it was like to wake up one day and have the people you care about most gone. I have been alone. I have abused drugs. I have been broke and homeless. But, I survived, on my own. I am here, in NY because of my music."
In her profile, Dupre says she moved to Manhattan to pursue her music career.
"I am all about my music, and my music is all about me," she writes on her MySpace page. "It flows from what I've been through, what I've seen and how I feel."
The page includes a picture of Dupre with the slogan "what destroys me, strengthens me." It also features a song titled "What we want" recorded by Dupre, with lyrics including "I know what you want, you got what I want, I know what you need, can you handle me?"
On the MySpace page, Dupre lists singers Etta James, Aretha Franklin and Celine Dion, as well as her brother, as her influences.
She also offers some advice for those experiencing hard times.
"I made it. I'm still here and I love who I am. If I never went through the hard times, I would not be able to appreciate the good ones," Dupre writes.
"Cliché, yes, but I know it's true. I have experienced just how hard it can be. I can honestly tell you to never dwell on the past, but build from it and keep moving forward."
Her brother, Kyle Youmans, told CNN he would not comment on the case or how his sister earns money, but he said she is "the best sister you could have."
"I'm sticking by my sister, doing everything so she'll be fine," Youmans said. "She'll make it through."
The family is "holding together" since the Spitzer scandal became public, he added.
Dupre's mother, Carolyn Capalbo, told the Times that she and her daughter were close, adding that "she obviously got involved in something much larger than her."
Man, I wish this story would drop out of the news cycle. Quickly. Noticed that a lot of folks are talking advantage it for political gain and ridicule and its only ruining lives.
"Stomp all over her"? That looks like a pretty sympathetic profile to me.
This young lady is more than likely going to be perfectly happy to milk the media attention and her 15 minutes of fame for as much as she possibly can. We're not exactly talking about someone who got involved in the sex trade involuntarily, after all.
Quote:
"It was my decision, and I've never looked back," she writes. "Left my hometown. Left a broken family. Left abuse. Left an older brother who had already split. Left and learned what it was like to have everything, and lose it, again and again.
"Learned what it was like to wake up one day and have the people you care about most gone. I have been alone. I have abused drugs. I have been broke and homeless. But, I survived, on my own. I am here, in NY because of my music."
Choices were made, consequences are now being felt. Without sounding callous, that's life. You make a good choice, you enjoy it, you go on to the next one. You make a bad choice, you have to live with it and sort through the fallout. Don't blame anyone else for what piles on.
Her life is hardly over. She's 22, and has plenty left to live for ahead of her. I mean, hell, worst come to worst and she remains a call-girl, she's the one who brought down a state Governor. She'll be able to name her price no matter where she goes. Not that I'd wish for her to stay in that trade, of course.
I wouldn't count on her music career taking off, though: "What We Want" is especially crap.
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Last edited by RobsonLegend : 03-13-2008 at 05:40 PM.
"Stomp all over her"? That looks like a pretty sympathetic profile to me.
This young lady is more than likely going to be perfectly happy to milk the media attention and her 15 minutes of fame for as much as she possibly can. We're not exactly talking about someone who got involved in the sex trade involuntarily, after all.
Contrary to the newspiece I posted, the media has been pretty nasty towards her.
And she was quoted in a Times piece as stating: I just don't want to be thought of as a monster
Nice to know the "balanced" media opinion hasn't been displayed. As usual.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RobsonLegend
Choices were made, consequences are now being felt. Without sounding callous, that's life. You make a good choice, you enjoy it, you go on to the next one. You make a bad choice, you have to live with it and sort through the fallout. Don't blame anyone else for what piles on.
Sorry, but this comes across as quite callous. She obviously made a choice that was deemed quite poor to the general public. She did what she thought was needed to be done in order to sustain the life she always wanted. Obviously there are better avenues to get to that destination, but until more is known about her (which I really don't care for), who's to say.
But to have folks take a moral high ground when they themselves need self examining is laughable at best. And we ALL need self examining.
Wasn't it the same Spitzer that was applauded months ago for being so goodie, goodie?
When people understand that a title placed on a person doesn't make them any less susceptible to errors than "aveage joes", society will be better off.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RobsonLegend
Her life is hardly over. She's 22, and has plenty left to live for ahead of her. I mean, hell, worst come to worst and she remains a call-girl, she's the one who brought down a state Governor. She'll be able to name her price no matter where she goes. Not that I'd wish for her to stay in that trade, of course.
I wouldn't count on her music career taking off, though: "What We Want" is especially crap.
She definitely has a full life. But in terms of the bad media exposure and the perception that she brought down a Governer (which is hilarious by the way. Spitzer brought himself down. He is solely to blame.), she has a long, long road ahead. I overstated by saying "over", but she has a lot of work to do now and the media is doing her no favours by playing out this angle like she is responsible for the Governor's charges and resignation.
Yeah, I think we can rule out a life as a call girl in the US. Considering its illegal and I'm willing to guess that she doesn't want any more negative media exposure on her if she were to go back to that life.
Bottom line is Spitzer is a douche and I hold him in the highest disregard, because he not only cheated on his wife, but his children and family.
I want to give a special mention to Bruno is it? Spitzer's bitter political opponent. He's been doing the media circuit playing the moral card like he's the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ himself. I really wish the media would stop coverage of this. There is more pressing news that needs coverage.
Spitzer's been exposed, he's resigned. Mission accomplished. Allow his wife and children the privacy that they deserve.
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As far as "Kristen" goes, I think you're being a bit harsh Funky. Being from New York and seeing some rather glorious examples of gold diggers, I think of her as an amateur in this game. You walk up and down third avenue on a weekend and you'll have more than enough dissplays of girls putting out for a few bucks - most for far less than 4,300 an hour. There is a greater societal ill here than runs deep and is long standing. Over exagerating on this occassion shouldn't diminish the fact that most people are scum...I hate to be too callous
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03-14-2008, 06:56 AM
Other than a bit of embarasment in that half the planet knows she's a high-priced hooker, I think this girl's in great shape! Next comes the tell-all book, the interviews, the notariety that opens doors... she's gonna be just fine. Besides, she a hottie!
Spitzer, of course, is an idiot and his life is over from this point on - politically anyway. He deserved that much. Not for using a hooker, but for cheating on his wife. I am not down with that, but I'm just fine and dandy with prostitution.
Before y'all start jumping up and down on me, I mean legalized prostitution. Along with that comes regulations, health checks, decent wages and working conditions, etc. In my opinion, whatever two (or more) consenting adults want to do is just fine and dandy. The big reason why prostitution is rife with drugs and crime is because it's illegal and driven underground.
And no, I've never paid for sex myself (unless you consider buying drinks in the bar paying)
Contrary to the newspiece I posted, the media has been pretty nasty towards her.
And she was quoted in a Times piece as stating: I just don't want to be thought of as a monster
Let's see. She decided to become a call girl. She's a player in a high-profile case. She had her profile out there on fairly public sites for all to see.
The media's the media. They want/crave/seek sensationalization. If we're going to bitch about the monster, then what about those who feed the monster?
Quote:
Nice to know the "balanced" media opinion hasn't been displayed. As usual.
It never is.
Quote:
Sorry, but this comes across as quite callous. She obviously made a choice that was deemed quite poor to the general public. She did what she thought was needed to be done in order to sustain the life she always wanted. Obviously there are better avenues to get to that destination, but until more is known about her (which I really don't care for), who's to say.
But to have folks take a moral high ground when they themselves need self examining is laughable at best. And we ALL need self examining.
Moral high ground? How about a novel concept? How about people actually being accountable and taking responsibility for their actions? Doesn't that apply to ALL people too?
Heck with it, I don't care. Spitzer will have to live with the consequences of his actions, and Dupre will as well. Sometimes, we really do make our own beds and of course have to sleep in them. There's not always someone or something to pass the buck on to.
Spitzer Linked to Prostitution Ring
Spitzer Linked to Prostitution Ring -
03-10-2008, 07:19 PM
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