Source: Duke Of Westminster Allegedly Used Same Call-Girl Service POSTED: 5:25 pm EDT March 12, 2008
UPDATED: 5:51 pm EDT March 12, 2008
NEW YORK -- One of the world's richest men allegedly used the services of the global call-girl ring also allegedly used by Eliot Spitzer, according to a source familiar with the case.
Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster, allegedly patronized Emperors Club VIP, the source said.
However, it was unclear if the Briton was among those allegedly caught on FBI wiretaps.
Meanwhile, Cecil Suwal and Mark Brener remained in jail on Wednesday, charged with running Emperors Club VIP.
Suwal and Brener drew little attention when they were arrested five days ago. That quickly changed as details surfaced that among their wealthy clients was Spitzer and that he may have spent thousands for high-end call girls.
Spitzer on Wednesday announced that he would resign, effective Monday.
Suwal and Brener are among four people charged with conspiracy to violate federal prostitution laws. The two are also charged with conspiracy to launder more than $1 million in illicit proceeds.
Temeka Rachelle Lewis, 32, of Brooklyn, and Tanya Hollander, 36, of Rhinebeck, N.Y., were also charged with conspiracy to violate federal prostitution laws.
Authorities raided Suwal and Brener's apartment last week found $600,000 in a safe and two Israeli passports belonging to Brener, according to The Star-Ledger of Newark.
Neighbors and a doorman at Briarcliff in Cliffside Park told The Record of Bergen County that the couple often seemed joined at the hip.
Brener was a financial consultant who lived in Queens, and then briefly in South Brunswick with his wife Eleanor, who died in 1997. Brener's lawyer, Jennifer Brown, said last week that her client was a U.S. citizen who had lived in the United States for 20 years.
Suwal attended the Blair Academy in Warren County, a prestigious boarding school in northwest New Jersey.
Suwal's lawyer, Daniel Parker, told The Star-Ledger that his client is a "23-year-old girl scared out of her mind."
"As this case continues to spiral," Parker said, "I would imagine everybody who the government says is associated with it is probably going to be more worried."
Parker did not return a call Wednesday. Brener's lawyer could not immediately be located.