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Eliot Spitzer Accused Of Choking Russian Former Prostitute In Hotel

By Amy Feinstein
Published on: 07:52 PST, Feb 16, 2016

Even after his marriage ended due to his taste for prostitutes, it seems Eliot Spitzer still has a type. The latest scrape with the law involves a hotel and a Russian prostitute who alleges that Spitzer tried to choke her after she revealed that she was moving back to Russia. Prostitute Svetlana Travis, aka Svetlana Zakharova, called 911 from the Plaza Hotel.

The New York Daily News is reporting that even though Eliot Spitzer is no longer married, he still has a secret life involving prostitutes. Initially, Spitzer was only admitting that he knew Travis, but he then admitted they shared the $1,000-a-night suite at the Plaza Hotel. Spitzer and his long-time girlfriend, Lis Smith, broke up in December.

“The woman who initially made the allegation was not my girlfriend. Lis Smith was my girlfriend, and I had and have deep affection for Lis,” he said.

Travis, who also calls herself Svetlana Z, refers to herself as a businesswoman.

“I’m a businesswoman. I did what politicians in this country are always encouraging immigrants to do: work hard, seize opportunity, maximize your talents.”

ABC News is discussing what is known so far about Eliot Spitzer’s hooker du jour. Spitzer and Svetlana Z allegedly met at the hotel for an “amicable conversation” before she called 911. Spitzer’s lawyer, Adam Kaufmann put out a statement saying that Svetlana Z recanted her statement to the police.

“There was no assault or criminal activity of any nature on the part of Mr. Spitzer” and that the woman, whom Kaufmann identified as Svetlana Travis of Russia, recanted her assault allegations.

There is now suggestion that Svetlana Z’s phone numbers no longer work and she has left the country for Russia.

“At her request, Mr. Spitzer agreed to meet her at a room previously booked for her at the Plaza Hotel,” Kaufmann said. “Mr. Spitzer met her in the room at mid-afternoon, and they had a brief and amicable conversation, and then Mr. Spitzer left.”

Kaufmann says Spitzer was then asked by Svetlana Z to return to the hotel, and he did.

“Spitzer then ‘saw her becoming highly emotional and was threatening self-harm,'” Kaufmann said. “She dialed 911 and said she was having a breakdown. She then called 911 again and sought to cancel her prior call to 911. She was distraught and Mr. Spitzer sought to keep her calm.”

Gawker is expressing mock shock that Eliot Spitzer is once again involved in a prostitution scandal. They are reporting that the stories are all over the place, and Spitzer’s reps are saying that Travis had a breakdown and she tried to slash her wrists. It seems that she is no longer available for whatever reason to refute his story. But Gawker says that what Spitzer described as casual was actually a two-year relationship.

“Spitzer and Travis’ relationship began at least two years ago, while she was working as a high-priced call girl — and he was her ‘sugar daddy,'” sources said.

“They met before this, and she was a prostitute at the time,” a police source said.

“In 2014, Travis posted a karaoke rendition of Christina Aguilera’s ‘Genie in a Bottle’ on YouTube with the title ‘a song for mr. E.S.’— an obvious reference to the infamous, hooker-loving ‘Client 9’.”

“If you wanna be with me, baby, there’s a price to pay. I’m a genie in a bottle. Gotta rub me the right way,” she sings in the clip.

The Gothamist says that Svetlana Z was not Spitzer’s girlfriend but a $5,000-a-night prostitute he hired. Svetlana Z was the pen name Travis used to write a sex tips column on Medium.

“‘Svetlana Z’ explains why she doesn’t want to ‘spoil’ boyfriends: ‘If someone’s not paying you, you don’t have to do bl** jobs, you don’t have to smile all the time, you can be yourself. But after a while you feel like something is missing. The something is money. You’re sitting in the same apartment, you’re the same you, but something is missing. Your wallet is empty. Sex is sex, but money is money.'”

After the incident, Travis was taken to Roosevelt Hospital, where a man named “George” called twice to check on her. “George Fox” was a name the former governor used when he was running around on his wife.

“Travis went to Roosevelt Hospital, where she named the ‘Luv Gov’ as her attacker, the sources said. After the hospital visit, while she was being driven by police, “at one point she gets out of the car and says she doesn’t want to press charges,” a source said.

It seems that the drama is done for now, as there is no complaining witness, but Eliot Spitzer’s use of prostitutes is raising more questions about his questionable behavior.

[Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images]

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