Spitzer High Paid Hooker Identified as Temeka Rachelle Lewis

Spitz' Blitz of online gambling industry, Wall Street and prostitution rings comes into question

Disgraced New York Governor Eliot Spitzer was expected to resign almost immediately following revelations that he had allegedly engaged the services of a hooker by the name of Temeka Rachelle Lewis.

According to a law enforcement source close to the investigation, the Democratic governor used the alias "George Fox" when meeting with a prostitute. His alleged conversations with the prostitution ring are detailed in court papers in which Spitzer is identified as "Client 9," according to a source.

Ms. Lewis was identified via the Feds "Prostitution" complaint.

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Excerpts from the federal complaint that charges four individuals with operating a prostitution ring. The complaint was filed in the Southern District of New York. It is reported that Client-9 is New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer. Temeka Lewis is one of the four defendants. "Kristen" is a prostitute marketed by the Emperors Club under that name, the document says. QAT, mentioned in section 75, is a bank account customers used for payments. 

73. On February 11, 2008, at approximately 10:53 p.m., Temeka Rachelle Lewis, a/k/a/ "Rachelle," the defendant ... sent a text message ... "Pls let me know if (Client-9's) `package' (believed to be a reference to a deposit of money sent by mail) arrives 2mrw. Appt would b on Wed."

The Wall Street Journal on Monday offered an interesting perspective as to why the Feds have involved themselves in a prostitution charge, normally a state offense.

Daniel Steven Parker, the lawyer who’s representing Cecil Suwal, the 23-year-old woman accused of heading the prostitution ring, says his client will plead not guilty, but that she has never met Spitzer. “You have to wonder why the feds are looking at this,” he says. “As a general rule, I’d think the federal government has better things to do than prosecute prosecution rings.”
Federal prosecution of prostitution-related offenses are rare, Michael Bachner — a former prosecutor in the Manhattan DA’s office — told the WSJ. He said to the extent Spitzer is charged it would likely be under the Mann Act, which prohibits transportation of people across state lines with the intent to commit prostitution.

But “the Mann Act really was designed more towards those who get someone to travel against their will,” Bachner said. “If Spitzer gets indicted, it would seem to me he would be indicted based on who he is rather than what he’s done. Those who frequent prostitutes are very, very rarely the subjects of a federal prosecution when clearly it’s commercial and consensual.”

As for possible state charges, he said “customers are rarely prosecuted in the state” and charges that are brought are typically disposed of with a plea to disorderly conduct, “which is akin to a traffic ticket.”  

Along with Arizona Senator Jon Kyl (R), the two have been among the most anti-online gambling zealots of the past decade.  Both have worked hard to quash the industry. 

In Kyl's case, he was the force behind the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act sneaked into 16 months ago as an attachment to an unrelated "port security" bill.

Spitz' blitz on Internet gambling came when he threatened Citibank criminal prosecution for knowingly assisting in internet gambling that was prohibited by New York law. Though the charges were dropped after Citibank promised to give $400,000 to counseling services for gambling addicts, the threat of prosecution was enough to force Citibank and other credit card issuing companies’ hands in banning internet gambling credit.

Filed Under Gambling News

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Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher CCostigan@CostiganMedia.com

Originally published March 10, 2008 8:08 pm EST