The petite madam who ran the prostitution ring that serviced former Gov. Eliot Spitzer admitted to everything from money laundering and booking hookers to having a bad trip on mushrooms, in an emotional guilty plea yesterday.
Cecil “Katie” Suwal, 23, grinned and chatted with her lawyer as she prepared to plead guilty to prostitution and money laundering, but quickly broke down as Manhattan federal Judge Barbara Jones grilled her on her role in the Emperors Club VIP.
Gasping and sobbing, Suwal admitted, “Unfortunately, I was involved in just the daily operations of this disgusting thing. The Emperors Club VIP or whatever this was.”
The weepy prep school grad, who wore demure black pinstripe pants, a white blouse and glasses for her court appearance, said, “It basically was, I guess, a prostitution ring that was attempting to launder money or whatever.”
Accused of running the ring for her boyfriend, Mark Brener, 62, Suwal agreed to serve between 21 and 27 months behind bars under a plea deal that does not require her to testify against any of her co-defendants or clients.
She admitted to knowingly arranging for prostitutes to cross state lines and purposely hiding cash from the million-dollar ring in bank accounts that she controlled between 2004 and 2008.
Suwal even ‘fessed up to a bad trip on mushrooms in college in 2002 after Jones asked if she’d ever been treated for drug or alcohol addiction.
“One time, I was hospitalized for taking poisonous mushrooms, which my body rejected and that’s what happened,” Suwal said.
It is unclear how much information she gave the feds about the Emperors Club operations or its high-rolling clients in the course of negotiations or whether she entered into a formal proffer agreement in an attempt to cooperate in the investigation.
Among her duties for the ring, Suwal made arrangements for Spitzer to meet with Ashley Alexandra Dupre, a k a “Kristen,” on Feb. 13 at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, according to court papers.
Suwal allegedly set the price of the rendezvous, calculated credit from previous “dates” and took his deposit.
Suwal’s plea came after lengthy negotiations between her lawyer, Alberto Ebanks, and prosecutors.
Outside of court, Ebanks refused to comment on Suwal’s negotiations, but said, “She is as much a victim as anyone. She is not the bad guy here, not to point fingers at anyone.”
“This is the most devastating event of her life,” Ebanks said.
On exiting the courthouse, the emotional madam traded her glasses for a pair of designer shades, whipped out a pink cellphone and flashed a grin for the cameras as she made her way to a black sedan.
The deal comes close on the heels of a guilty plea by hooker booker Temeka Lewis, who fielded calls from Spitzer and has agreed to cooperate with an investigation targeting the ex-governor.
Suwal’s sentencing is set for Sept. 12.