"Is there a way to wire money where it's not evident that it's coming from me?"

In July 2007, North Fork Bank vice president Adam Brenner got a peculiar phone call from his branch’s most prominent client, New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer. Brenner’s private-banking office, on Madison Avenue and 49th Street in Manhattan, catered to wealthy New Yorkers, many of them involved in real estate. It prided itself on service.

“Is there a way to wire money where it’s not evident that it’s coming from me?” the governor asked. Brenner referred the matter to his superiors. They wouldn’t make this anonymous wire transfer, even for the governor. It was against all sorts of banking regulations…

Unbeknownst to banker Brenner, QAT Consulting was a dummy corporation — a front for a high-priced escort service called Emperors Club VIP. By mid-2007, Spitzer had long since become a regular customer, using the name of close friend George Fox. His awkwardness on the phone had disappeared as he learned the ropes of patronizing prostitutes. But he remained unusually guarded, and he refused to engage in small talk. “He practically attacked me when he walked in the door,” one escort told her phone booker afterward. “He was just ready.”…

To be sure, Spitzer patronized prostitutes and broke the law — for a longer period and with greater frequency than anyone knew. He had been a customer of the Emperors Club for at least two full years and spent more than $100,000 on more than 20 appointments with perhaps 10 escorts in New York City, Washington, Dallas, Palm Beach, and San Juan.