Cecil Suwal, Spitzer-Linked New York Madam, Gets Six Months

NEW YORK — A college student who managed the prostitution ring that brought down former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer was sentenced Thursday to six months in prison.

Cecil Suwal, 24, of New York, cried as she apologized and asked for mercy from U.S. District Judge Barbara S. Jones.

"It is my aim to prevent others, especially young girls, from making the kind of mistakes that I have made," Suwal said.

She pleaded guilty last year to money laundering, conspiracy and conspiring to promote prostitution.

The federal probation department had recommended that Suwal receive no prison time. Prosecutors had sought roughly two years.

Suwal was 18 when she got involved with a man nearly three times her age. She was Mark Brener's "paramour, his companion and ultimately his assistant" at the Emperors Club VIP, a $5,500-an-hour escort service, said defense attorney Alberto A. Ebanks.

Ebanks said Brener's psychological domination left Suwal incapable of making independent decisions. Her attorney said she even had a tattoo on her body reading "property of Mark Brener."

But Ebanks said Suwal has "permanently severed the umbilical cord from Brener," adding that she attended college last semester, did charity work, had steady appropriate employment and had volunteered for a forensic psychological evaluation.

The federal judge credited Suwal for going to "extraordinary lengths to put her life back on track" but said it could not erase the fact that she had played a central role in the escort service.

Brener, 63, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit a prostitution offense and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He faces between 2 and 2 1/2 years in prison.

The judge said Suwal opened bank accounts for shell businesses created to hide the true nature of the operation, paid prostitutes and arranged meetings with clients.

It was one such meeting in a Washington hotel last February that snared Spitzer and led to his March resignation as governor.

Prosecutors announced in November they would not charge Spitzer after investigators found no evidence that he misused public or campaign funds for prostitution. The federal government typically does not prosecute clients of prostitution rings.

Booking agent Tanya Robin Hollander of Rhinebeck, N.Y., pleaded guilty to a prostitution conspiracy and was sentenced to a year of probation. Another booking agent, Temeka Lewis, who is enrolled at the University of Virginia, is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to promoting prostitution and money laundering.

Comments

[sgk]

Until the "john's" are jailed, prostititution, sex trafficking and slavery will not go away. A woman is jailed and the john is not! Either make prostitution legal with safeguards for the workers or attack the demand side of "supply and demand" economics.

[Ingrid Mann-Willis]

This is so rediculous and sexist. It also tells me....Mone­y talks" and Who has the money....T­his man should have to go to jail as well. He looked for a call girl and she supplied. Prostitution will always be there and can never be erased from the planet.
It is disgraceful he does not get any punishment. the rich and powerful always get away with things...

[nuclearmonkeys]

she got the time for the money laundering and stuff, not so much the prostitution. still not fair, but from the side of the law you can see why it is.

[katedog]

So, what's up with Silda Spitzer? She still trying to work things out with hubby? ick.

[ziasym]

Spitzer, the predator, should also do time. The

[wwoody]

prostitute is the world oldest profession, after all Eve turn Adam out with the taste of the forbidden fruit

[Palemoon]

So when is Madam Dupree and Mr. Spitzer also going to jail?

[cariintexas]

right after David vitter. Oops, he's a Republican, above the law and still holds a senate seat.

[Palemoon]

Thanks for reminding me. So when is Harry Reid going to refuse to seat him?

[wwoody]

Please someone tell me where the victim in this case, Mr.Spitzer ask Ms.Suwal for sexual favor and was willing to pay for her service. Ms.Suwal on the other hand was willing to provide a service, they both agree on the price of the service to be perform, so where is the crime in this case, turn about is fair play.

[b93950]

It is against the Statutory Law.

[Luvial]

She should have asked for a diamond ring as payment, then it would not have violated "Statutory law".

[redhead61]

This is a sexist decision that has gone on for eons and needs to STOP. If the woman is getting prosecuted here, then the JOHNS need prosecuted as well...NO free passes for the high profile people.
It is pathetic that Prosecutors take this route in America! PATHETIC.

[ziasym]

Absolutely! These men can be forgiven for exploiting and further damaging broken people. They can give a mea culpa with their loving wives and write columns for respected web magazines. We should recognize these men for what they are...pred­ators.

[wwoody]

Mary Magdalene, is on the government watch list.

[viper234]

It's amazing how this woman is thrown behind bars for running a sex service, while Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rove and others are free and rich after trashing the Constitution, ordering the use of torture, lying to America about WMD in Iraq, then invading a country that had nothing to do with 9/11, resulting in close to 5000 US military deaths and over 100,000 Iraqi civilian deaths. Go figure.

[betweenextremes]

Not to mention all the crooks on Wall Street.

[magibrotherhood]

---"the crooks on Wall Street " could have been behind "outting" Spitzer---­-Spitzer`s got mountains of dirt on these jackals from the days when he was N.Y. Aty. General----could be Spitzer was puttin some heat on the "Uncle Bernies" down at The Street and they Zinged old Eliot with a corruption of Morals (or whatever ) public humiliatio­n.------

[hawkny]

Prostitution is as old as mankind. In Eliot Spitzer's case, his daliances with women of the night provided the excuse that "threatened" monied people needed to push him out of public office. He was a fool not to recognize his tenuous position as New York's attorney general and governor with offices only a few blocks from Wall Street and 26 Federal Plaza. Chalk that up to a streak of arrogance in Mr. Spitzer's makeup which, on one hand, made him unique, as politicians go, but also very succeptable to the chicanery of others similarly situated.

[HamletsMill]

Exactly. He was an idiot not to realize he was being watched by some very ruthless interests from Wall Street. He was a marked man. How could he not have realized that? It was only a matter of time. That lack of awareness through some kind of dysfunctional hubris is the greater crime.

[tydicea]

There it is again, the well connected and powerful johns get a free pass while the other players get crucified. Justice at its best, you got to love it.

[TheJibreelaMonsters]

Spitzer plea deal was to resign to avoid jail time

DGGW = Democrat Gov Gone Wild

[envyme]

Sexism...

[BartLA]

Prostitution is illegal yet the Johns get off scot-free. Double standards.

[PartyofLogic]

Heidi Fleiss all over again? Why aren't the men who paid for sex doing any time? When will Eliot Spitzer actually pay for his crime with his time???