By Tai Saint Louis
New York Governor Eliott Spitzer came forward in a press conference today (Mar 10) to apologize to his family and admit his involvement with an online prostitution ring currently under investigation.
Spitzer’s announcement this afternoon came following the arrest of four individuals connected to the Emperor’s Club VIP, a high-end, online prostitution ring.
While Spitzer offered no details about his involvement with the Emperor’s Club, the New York Times reported today that a person with knowledge of his role believes he is identified in court papers as "Client #9."
He also allegedly met a prostitute in Washington, D.C.
"Today, I want to briefly address a private matter. I have acted in a way that violates my obligations to my family and that violates my or any sense of right and wrong," Spitzer told members of the press from his office in Manhattan. "I apologize first and most to my family. I apologize to the public, to whom I promise better. I do not believe that politics in the long run is about individuals. It is about ideas, the public good and doing what is best for the state of New York. But, I have disappointed and have failed to live up to the standard I expected of myself. I must now dedicate some time to regain the trust of my family."
Spitzer is best known within the music industry for his 2005 investigation into the major record labels and their use of "payola" to obtain airplay for certain records, during his eight-year stint as New York’s Attorney General.
In July 2005, following a subpoena to all four major labels, Spitzer entered into an agreement with Sony BMG in which the label agreed to pay a $10 million fine and change it’s radio promotions practices.
Four months later, Warner Music Group entered into a similar agreement, paying $5 million to settle the law suit levied by Spitzer.
The last label to settle was EMI, which agreed to a settlement of $3.75 million in June of 2006.
As a result, several DJ’s and programming directors were fired or resigned, as a result of the investigation.