No charges for Spitzer

NEW YORK - Federal prosecutors said yesterday that they won't bring criminal charges against Eliot Spitzer for his role in a prostitution scandal, removing a legal cloud that has surrounded the former New York governor since his epic downfall eight months ago.

U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia said investigators found no evidence that Spitzer misused public or campaign funds for prostitution. Federal prosecutors typically do not prosecute clients of prostitution rings.

Spitzer issued a statement in which he expressed relief that he will not face charges and said, " . . . I once again apologize for my actions."

He resigned in March after it was disclosed he was referred to in court papers as "Client-9," who spent thousands of dollars on a call girl at a swanky Washington, D.C., hotel on the night before Valentine's Day.

Garcia said that Spitzer later revealed to investigators that on multiple occasions he arranged for women to travel from one state to another state to engage in prostitution.

Authorities could have charged Spitzer with violating the Mann Act, a federal law that bans carrying women across state lines for "prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose." But legal experts say the law is rarely used to prosecute johns. *