Didn't Elliot know that he wouldn't have gotten caught with less than $8000 on the wire? What a buffoon.

I still want to know who leaked his name out to the media in the first place, because from all indications he was in the federal complaint as Client #9 but not named in an indictment, yet.

Something was very fishy about the timing of all of this, and they couldn't wait until the indictment to leak his name out to the media.

The "bank's report was triggered by Spitzer's attempt to structure a $10,000 cash transaction into three parts." Spitzer also reportedly asked the bank to "take his name off the wires."

...and the old saw stands: it's not the crime; it's the cover-up.

It's the renewal of the wiretap on 2/11/08 that stands out to me. It had previously been allowed to lapse. We know from the unsealed indictment that by 2/7/08, the FBI had already accumulated sufficient evidence to secure an indictment of the four principals of the Emperor's Club.

On its face, it would seem that agents had tried (and failed) to catch Spitzer in flagrante delicto before, and allowed the wiretap to lapse as they wrapped up their case. It's clear that they already had Spitzer dead-to-rights on legal grounds. All of the financial transactions, which apparently would form the basis of any charge, were already amply documented. As it turned out, the wiretap provided no further evidence of structuring - in this case, Spitzer simply withdrew the cash, and send it by mail. I suppose they could go after him on Mail Fraud or Mann Act violations, but there's no indication that they will, or for that matter, that they planned to. So what on earth was their justification for reopening the wiretap, other than catching Spitzer in a maximally humiliating position?

I would love to see what agents claimed in their request for a re-authorization of that wiretap. Is there any way you can obtain a copy of that request?

Which is the larger crime: prostitution or the use of State security to prosecute political enemies?

Since DoJ could have brought charges earlier, the question is "why now?" The sensational nature of having Spitzer's voice on tape suggests the intent was political rather than legal. They only prosecute when they can present his voice on tape as evidence.

If he was targeted -- culled from the massive financial information picked up by NSA's search for suspicious 'terrorist' funding activities -- then shouldn't that show up in court documents? Perhaps that explains his reluctance to immediately resign; he has a little leverage.

What's funny in all this is that the outrageous prices (greed) charged by the Emperor's Club are almost certainly what precipiatated their downfall--the $10,000-plus costs people were paying ensured that SARs were going to be pulled on payments to them and their shell corporations were going to be investigated.

Dumbasses. Should have kept their prices lower.

Anybody got friends on Spitzer's staff? He might want to practice indignantly shouting "Sheeeeeeeeeit!"

Spitzer Linked to a Prostitution Ring
by Dan Vera



"Everyone has a secret life" Kim says.



Spitzer. The good boy DA.

The anti-corruption crusader,

Now found to have ordered in at the Mayflower.

A $4000 dollar tab

8 floors up from

where J. Edgar and Tolson

lunched in monotony for 20 years.

"But he was sucha straight shooter," I say,

"No one saw any signs!"

"Those are the ones I immediately suspect" she says

"Those are the ones I suspect."

Over at democraticunderground.com someone who sounded knowledgeable was discussing the fact that spitzer was heading up a move to change the balance of power from Repub. to Dem. majority in the NT Legislature, the plans were coming very close to fruition.
sorry I cannot find the thread, it was last 2-3 days, sounded convincing.
It is interesting that the FBI and the DOJ guys were so prompt in working the case.

The four ringleaders convicted were:

Mark "Michael" Brenner, 62 of Cliffside Park, NJ
(a dual US - Israeli citizen)

Cecil Suwal, 23 of Cliffside Park, NJ (aka Katie)

Temeka Rachelle Lewis, 32, of Brooklyn, NY

Tanya Hollander, 36, of Rhinebeck, NY

Errata
- Yesterday, on the Situation Room, CNN established that Mark Brenner was an "Enrolled Agent" of the IRS.

- Tanya Hollander's home in Rhinebeck, NY is next door to that of a Joseph Michenfelder who works for National Political Services, Inc of New York, NY.

Is Joe Michendorfer or National Political Services relevant here?

And isn't Cecil a man's name? Was "Katie" really a guy?

Citoyen92 - thank you! Nice post, informative links. And thank you, TPM, for being an exceptional WebSite!

Something isn't adding up. we've been told that Spitzer was "not" targeted, and that the US government only targeted the agency, then detected Spitzer.

However, the timeline tells the opposite story:

Fall, 2007: Another bank (possibly HSBC) sends Suspicious Activity Reports to the Treasury Department. "They showed that Mr. Spitzer and others, including people overseas, collectively deposited hundreds of thousands of dollars into an account of a company called QAT International Inc., whose business involved foreign accounts and shell companies and appeared to be vaguely related to pornography Web sites."

10/07: The FBI and the IRS-Criminal Investigative Division launch an investigation "focusing on an organization suspected of conducting prostitution and money-laundering crimes in the United States and Europe" -- i.e. the Emperor's Club VIP.

1/8/08: Investigators begin wiretaps of Emperor's Club managers.

We're told that the wiretaps didn't occur until 8Jan, about three months after Spitzer was linked.

- Why wasn't Spitzer, when he first was linked with the agency in "Fall 2007" put under surveillance?

- Why should we believe the assertion, "But we were only looking at the Emperor Club, then ran across Spitzer's name. . ." when the reverse appears true: Spitzer was supposedly linked with the transfers?

- How, again, did the US government trace cash transfers; or were these, in fact, wire transers that "excluded" his name? [Something doesn't make sense on that explanation as, even if his name were "removed" from the wire transfers, he should have known the account would be traceable to him.]

Again, not hearing a straigh story: How did the US government know to trace the cash which was not connected with Spitzer; but being supposedly deposited in these larger accounts?

Something else must have happened to link the "uknown source of money that was below 10K" with these accounts. Using the US government's logic, then any wire transfer is suspicious until proven innocent. That certainly explain why US citiens have been detained without warrants, and subjected to warrantless interrogations to explain cash transfers related to lawful conduct.

Is there something else about the DHS domestic interrogations they'd like to explain before we find o ut US citizens, after being rendered, were threatened with proseuction for discussing the conditions of their abuse?

You have to hand it to him, he was wearing his lapel flag to the very end.

I think we should consider examining her blog, to find the times when the Governor was able to impart significant intellectual themes. This may provide valuable clues to the TPMM timeline. Consider this analysis.

- Is it possible to examine her blog for clues that the FBI was conducting a sting against "the unknown man"?

- How did her writing style and critical thinking skills improve since she first met "the unknown man"?

- Is there evidence that her interactions with the NY State's most powerful, now resigned leader, had a substantial impact on her ability to conduct oversight of her legal counsel?

Look at this sophisticated decision-tree of thinking. Who would have thought things would change:

*Does that person make you feel good . . .

That's right: It doesn't matter if you do a background check on the guy; just think about "feeling good". Who knows, maybe one day you'll wind up on the TPMM comment page. Highlighted on the TPMM page? ["Good," check]

*Does that person drive you to be better . . .

In this case, the Governor paid the drivers' tickets for a direct trip to a hotel in Washington. That's "better than better". [Better, check]

Is this the one we skip, or comment on:

*Is that person right there behind you when things arent that good . . .

Spitzer's wife was there, so she must be good.

This one is a mixed bag: Defintiely having a MySpace page can help, but getting caught doing "other stuff" isn't.

*Will that person be an asset to your life...

[Asset, liabilty, debt, it's all so confusing]

Consider adding this to the timeline:

1. Date Spitzer watched the movie, The American President, thought, "I could get a girlfriend, invite her to the White House, be famous like Michael Douglas. I'll say, 'No comment. I'm the President. This is privileged.' "

2. Date FBI reminded him he still had a wife, who was supposed to be his girlfriend.

3. Date GOP in the legislature said, " No American Presidency for you, Elliot."

An interesting take on it: http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/politics/March-April-08/Why-Was-Spitzer-So-Reckless.html

Subsequent reporting suggests the wire transfers were not of concern until someone notified the bank of Spitzer's activities:

"The New York Times reported that the revelations began with a routine tax inquiry by revenue agents 'conducting a routine examination of suspicious financial transactions reported to them by banks.' This investigation allegedly found 'several unusual movements of cash involving the Governor of New York.' But the movement of the amounts of cash required to pay prostitutes, even high-priced prostitutes over a long period of time, does not commonly generate a full-scale investigation." From