Feb. 27: Gov. Eliot Spitzer speaks at a news conference in Albany, N.Y. (AP)
NEW YORK – The boss of a prostitution ring used by disgraced former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer should serve at least two years in prison, prosecutors said Tuesday.
In papers filed in U.S. District Court, they argued Mark Brener earned "substantial punishment" with his role in the business and should receive the two to two and a half years in prison that was included in his plea agreement.
Brener pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to commit a prostitution offense and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He's scheduled to be sentenced Friday.
Prosecutors cited his position as head of Emperors Club VIP and criticized his contrition, saying it didn't seem sincere.
"That the defendant continues to insist upon his moral rectitude and his legitimate intentions with respect to the Emperors Club raises a serious concern about the defendant's potential recidivism," prosecutors wrote.
Brener lawyer Murray Richman noted his client is 63 and said "time alone will prohibit the likelihood of him doing this again."
"In no way does Mr. Brener try to avoid his responsibility," Richman said. "He recognizes he did wrong."
The lawyer noted that his client has been in prison since his arrest last March, when Spitzer resigned after it was revealed he had met one of the Emperors Club's prostitutes at a Washington, D.C., hotel weeks earlier.
Prosecutors said 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.
The manager of the escort service was sentenced to six months in prison last week. A booking agent received a year of probation and a second booking agent is awaiting sentencing.
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