Eliot Spitzer Escort Gets 90 Days For $400K Blackmail Plot
Image by getty images
Svetlana Travis Zakharova, the Russian escort who was accused of extorting $400,000 from Eliot Spitzer, pled guilty to a lesser charge in Manhattan court on Monday and was sentenced to 90 days in prison.
Zakharova was arrested last year and charged with grand larceny and extortion after the ex-New York governor told authorities she tried to blackmail him for money and gifts – and threatened to reveal their affair if he did not agree. Zakharova leveled her own allegations against Spitzer, whom she said choked her – a charge that authorities did not level against Spitzer himself.
She pled guilty under an agreement to extorting a second man with whom she had an affair – and was sentenced to 90 days in prison. She was released because he had already served more than a year in prison while awaiting the outcome of legal proceedings.
Spitzer, a Democrat, was forced from political office in 2008, after he was found to have patronized prostitutes in Washington, D.C. He and wife Silda Wall Spitzer also subsequently divorced.
Contact Daniel J. Solomon at [email protected] or on Twitter @DanielJSolomon
I’m personally matching all gifts to the Forward, up to $36,000. Can I match your gift now?
Hello, fellow Forward reader! I’m Joel Brown, a Forward reader and supporter for more than 15 years, and currently the chair of the board of directors.
I’m an avid Forward reader because it ticks so many of my essential boxes: excellent journalism, Jewish focus and diverse viewpoints. In today’s political climate, what I most appreciate is the Forward’s independence — made possible by the generosity of its membership.
The Forward is committed to bringing you unbiased, nuanced Jewish news. From my position as board chair, I see an exciting future as we expand our position as the definitive independent voice of contemporary American Judaism.
— Joel Brown, Forward board chair
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
