Russian Beauty Will Face September Trial In Alleged Blackmail Of Eliot Spitzer
Image by getty images
A woman said to have extorted $400,000 from ex-New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer will probably face a criminal trial this September, said a judge in Manhattan Supreme Court.
Svetlana Travis Zakharova, a 26-year-old, is alleged to have gotten the payouts after threatening to tell Spitzer’s now-ex-wife and family about their supposed relationship.
She is being prosecuted in the Bronx after Manhattan district Cyrus Vance, Jr. recused himself from the case because of ties to Spitzer.
Zakharova was picked up the New York Police Department last October, after re-entering the country after a stint in her native Russia. She has claimed that Spitzer tried to attack her and claims that she did not extort money from him.
Spitzer was forced from office in 2008 after revelations that he patronized prostitutes. His wife subsequently divorced him, and efforts to revive his public profile in politics and media have largely failed.
Contact Daniel J. Solomon at solomon@forward.com or on Twitter @DanielJSolomon
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
