New York police are investigating an alleged sexual assault involving former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, CNN reported Monday.
A 25-year-old woman has come forward, accusing Spitzer of choking her inside a room at the Plaza Hotel in Midtown Manhattan over Valentine’s Day weekend.
Former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned as governor in 2008 after it was discovered that he was using a high end call girl service. (Getty Images)
Former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned as governor in 2008 after it was discovered that he was using a high-end call-girl service. (Getty Images)
“The victim has indicated that the subject is Eliot Spitzer,” the New York Police Department said in a statement Sunday. “Through an ongoing investigation, we are attempting to further establish the identity of the subject and the nature of the incident.”
The alleged assault occurred Saturday, two law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation told CNN.
Lisa Linden, a spokeswoman for the former governor, said, ”There is no truth to the allegation.”
As of Monday, Spitzer had not been charged with any crime, but the investigation is ongoing. According to one of the law enforcement sources, police have yet to interview Spitzer.
The alleged victim, whose identity has not been released by authorities, told investigators that the former governor was her boyfriend, the source told CNN.
Police went to the Plaza Saturday after receiving a call from an “emotionally disturbed person,” the source said.
The source also said that the alleged victim was taken to the hospital for self-inflicted cuts to her wrists.
The former governor came to visit the woman in the hospital, wearing a skull cap to obscure his identity, according to the source.
At the hospital, the woman reportedly told police that Spitzer had gotten violent with her after a verbal argument escalated into something physical.
The victim, a Russian national, has left the United States to return to her country, the source said.
Spitzer’s public life has been shrouded in scandal after the former New York governor resigned in 2008 amid a widely covered prostitution scandal. In 2010 and 2011, the politician co-hosted a political talk show on CNN. He lost a bid for city comptroller in 2013.