Eliot Spitzer, the crusading New York Governor often tipped as a future American president, suffered a spectacular fall from grace yesterday when he was implicated in a prostitution ring.

Mr Spitzer, whose eight years as New York State’s Attorney-General earned him a reputation as “the sheriff of Wall Street”, reportedly told senior aides that he was a client of an international escort service that charged up to $5,500 (£2,750) an hour. Court papers hinted at risky sexual practices. He cancelled all his public appearances and met officials in his Fifth Avenue apartment before making a public apology to his family and the public.

“I have acted in a way that violates my obligations to my family and in a way that violates my or any sense of right and wrong,” he said, with his wife Silda at his side. “I apologise first and most importantly to my family. I apologise to the public, whom I have promised better. I am disappointed I have not lived up to the standards I have set for myself.”

Mr Spitzer, 48, who was elected Governor with a record 69 per cent of the vote, is married with three daughters. He did not immediately step down, but said that he needed to dedicate some time to regaining the trust of his family. If he steps aside, he will be replaced by Lieutenant-Gover-nor David Paterson.

The revelation followed an FBI crackdown last week on an expensive prostitution ring in Washington called the Emperors Club VIP. Four people were arrested. The ring, which operated in London and Paris as well as New York, Los Angeles and Miami, ranked prostitutes with a number of diamonds. Payment could be made by credit card.

A source told The New York Times that Mr Spitzer was one of the men identified in court papers as a client of the prostitution ring. Court papers say that the man identified as Client 9 had arranged to meet a prostitute in Washington on the night of February 13. An affidavit lists six conversations between Client 9 and a booking agent for the Emperors Club.

Client 9 was captured by a telephone tap setting up an appointment with a prostitute called “Kristen”, who travelled by train from New York to Washington to meet him.

In one of six telephone conversations, Kristen was described as “American, petite, very pretty brunette, 5 feet 5 inches, and 105 pounds.” When told which woman he was getting, Client 9 said: “Great, OK, wonderful.”

Client 9 was told he had $400 to $500 credit and paid a total of $4,300, which included a down-payment for future appointments. He said Kristen should go to the hotel room and push the door, which would be open.

After the appointment, Kristen reported back to the accused madam, Ameka Rachelle Lewis. “Lewis asked Kristen how she thought the appointment went and Kristen said she thought it went very well. Kristen said that she liked him, and she did not think he was difficult. 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 you, like, might not think were safe – I mean . . . very basic things’.”

Travel records show that Mr Spitzer was in Washington in mid-February. He appeared on the CNBC financial channel from the city at 7am on February 14.

Mr Spitzer was once anointed “Crusader of the Year” byTimemagazine, andPeoplenamed him one of the sexiest politicians alive.

The man who would be President

— Eliot Spitzer became Governor of New York in 2006, winning almost 70 per cent of the vote. Before that he was the state’s Attorney-General

— He built his reputation on prosecuting big business over financial irregularities. His most famous scalp was that of the investment bank Merrill Lynch. He went on to collect almost $1.5 bn in fines from banks and brokerages breaking financial regulations

— While serving as assistant district attorney in the early 1990s, Spitzer helped to break the Gambino Mafia family’s stranglehold on trucking and the garment business in New York City

— His father, Bernard, a property developer, once bragged that his son would become America’s first Jewish president. His prospects were so bright that reporters trailed him around the 2004 Democratic Party nominating convention

— In 2004 he voiced revulsion as he announced the arrests of 16 people for running a prostitution ring out of Staten Island

Sources: ny.gov; nndb.com; law.com

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