The $1,000-per-hour hooker whose tryst with Gov. Spitzer destroyed his career will be a key witness before a federal grand jury that is now focusing on the disgraced politician, The Post has learned.
When she details her romp to the panel – which could slam Spitzer with a slew of criminal charges – pretty young escort Ashley Alexandra Dupre is expected to hold nothing back, because she is almost certain to be granted immunity against prosecution for her own sex crimes.
“I have no reason to believe she is going to be charged,” Dupre’s high-powered criminal-defense lawyer, Don Buchwald, said yesterday.
In addition to Dupre, other prostitutes have received subpoenas to go before the grand jury, which had already been probing the Emperors Club VIP hooker ring and four of its key players.
Spitzer faces the possibility of being indicted not only for violating the Mann Act – which prohibits sending women across state lines for “immoral” purposes – but also for money laundering because he paid the pimps who ran the club.
Details emerged of how Dupre was granted a court-appointed lawyer – despite the fact that her hourly rate at least equals that of a private attorney.
Dupre, 22, was hired out by Emperors at the sky-high hourly rate and lives in a studio apartment in a doorman building in the Flatiron District that rents for nearly $4,000 per month.
But on Monday, she filed a financial affidavit in Manhattan federal court seeking a free lawyer – and it was granted.
Mary Mulligan, the private lawyer who was on call that day, was ruled ineligible because she is already representing Tanya Hollander, another Emperors Club defendant.
Dan Stein, the prosecutor assigned to the case, telephoned Buchwald, a former federal prosecutor whose wife is a judge in the same courthouse, and asked him to represent Dupre.
Buchwald has represented in private practice executives of financial institutions that were targeted by Spitzer when he was state attorney general. Asked about that, Buchwald laughed and said, “I try to represent all my clients zealously.”
Defense lawyer Ron Kuby, who has no connection with the case, suspects Buchwald’s assignment is no coincidence.
“By all accounts, [Dupre] has more than adequate funds to obtain counsel. She’s one of the highest paid hourly workers in America, albeit she may not put in a lot of hours, but she’s highly paid,” he said.
“What the government is doing is making sure she is assigned a compliant lawyer who will keep her on the reservation and not have her posing for Playboy until the government is done exploiting her with her clothes on.”
Meanwhile, a former senior New York federal prosecutor predicted that Spitzer – whose lawyers are already talking to the US Attorney’s Office – likely will take a deal to plead guilty to a felony charge without being indicted. “Sadly, the governor will have to admit in court to a crime,” the former prosecutor said.
That lawyer predicted that Spitzer will plead guilty to violating the Mann Act.
He also believes that the deal will end with Spitzer serving no prison time – though the soon-to-be-ex-governor very well could lose his law license.