Spitzer Not Out Of The Legal Woods Yet
Eliot Spitzer may still face criminal charges over his hooker habit. A Federal prosecutor in New York denies that any deal was reached with Spitzer before he resigned as governor. On top of charges stemming from his involvement in prostitution, he also is no longer able to block investigations into the troopergate scandal.
Spitzer, who came into office in 2007 promising to clean up state politics, faces the possibility of federal criminal charges over how he may have paid for prostitution services, specifically charges of structuring, which entail payments made so as to conceal their purpose and source.
Another violation may involve money laundering, if payments made to the suspected prostitution ring's shell corporations are found to be part of a larger conspiracy, legal experts said.
Legal observers speculated Spitzer was seeking to reach a deal to avoid or reduce any criminal liability before he left office. On Wednesday, the top federal prosecutor in New York said there was no such deal.
Prostitution is illegal in most U.S. states, but clients are rarely prosecuted and he is unlikely to face such charges.
But because he allegedly paid for the prostitute to travel to Washington from New York, he may have violated the Mann Act that bans interstate transport to engage in prostitution.
I wouldn't be terribly surprised if he is also in divorce court rather soon.
By Larry Sheldon, Thursday, 13 March , 2008 @ 11:41 am
Divorce? I don’t think so. She will run for Governor, citing her superior experience and preparation for the job.
By Frank Tillery, Thursday, 13 March , 2008 @ 7:03 pm
My first inclination is to say no, do not prosecute him because this is really a victimless crime. However, due to Mr. Spitzer’s "Holier than Thou", sanctimonious approach to others while he was District Attorney, I feel he should be prosecuted (just ask the guys on Wall Street).
Also, if nothing else, he should be prosecuted for being stupid. You mean to tell me that the most powerful man in one of the largest state economies could not "stash" a few bucks away here and there to pay for his folly? He gets a paycheck and I am sure no one in his family monitors his spending since he rarely has to spend any money.
No. Not Laser Brain! He creates a dummy company and plows money into it as if no one would notice. You would think he of all people would be aware of the IRS staffers who just sit around all day drinking cappuccinos and studying these types of transactions. And he was an Attorney General?
Arrest the bum!
By FedUp, Friday, 14 March , 2008 @ 10:58 am
He needs to be prosecuted to the full extent that he prosecuted others for the same crime. He should be held to a higher standard than the ‘mere mortals’ that he put in jail - wouldn’t it be cosy if he were to share the same cell? Delicious!