New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned on Wednesday, completing a stunning fall from power after he was nationally disgraced by links to a high-priced prostitution ring. Spitzer made the announcement without having finalized a plea deal with federal prosecutors, though a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation said he is believed to still be negotiating one. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case. "I look at my time as governor with a sense of what might have been," Spitzer said, his expressionless wife, Silda, standing at his side. "There is much more to be done, and I cannot allow my private failings to disrupt the people's work." Democratic Lt. Gov. David Peterson will become governor when Spitzer’s resignation is made effective on Monday. Paterson will be New York's first black governor. The scandal erupted two days ago when allegations surfaced that the 48-year-old Spitzer spent thousands of dollars on a call girl at a swanky Washington hotel on the night before Valentine's Day. Spitzer was more composed than he was at his appearance two days ago, when he looked pale, drawn and glassy-eyed. The couple stood quietly Wednesday, inches apart; they never touched as they entered or left the room. His wife took deep breaths as hundreds of photos were taken at close range. Each of Spitzer's words was accompanied by a rush of camera clicks. “I’m deeply sorry that I did not live up to what was expected of me," Spitzer said. Prior to making the formal announcement in his office, Spitzer and his family had been secluded in their Fifth Avenue apartment. Republicans had been talking impeachment, and few if any fellow Democrats came forward to defend him. Repeat customer Investigators said Tuesday that Spitzer was a repeat customer who spent tens of thousands of dollars — perhaps as much as $80,000 — with the prostitution service over an extended period of time. On Monday, prosecutors said in court papers that Spitzer had been caught on a wiretap spending $4,300 with the Emperors Club VIP call-girl service, with some of the money going toward a night with a prostitute named Kristen, and the rest to be used as credit toward future trysts. The papers also suggested that Spitzer had done this before. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a law enforcement official said Tuesday that Spitzer, in fact, had spent tens of thousands of dollars with the Emperors Club. Another official said the amount could be as high as $80,000. But it was not clear over what period of time that was spent. Still another law enforcement official said investigators found that during the tryst with Kristen on the night before Valentine's Day, Spitzer used two rooms at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington — one for himself, the other for the prostitute. Sometime around 10 p.m., Spitzer sneaked away from his security detail and made his way to the room where she was waiting, the official said. The three officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case. Details in court papers In the court papers, an Emperors Club employee was quoted as telling Kristen that Client 9 — Spitzer, according to investigators — "would ask you to do things that ... you might not think were safe," and Kristen responded by saying: "I have a way of dealing with that. ... I'd be, like, listen, dude, you really want the sex?" A law enforcement official said Tuesday the discussion had to do with Spitzer's preference not to wear a condom and the call-girl's insistence that he use one. Spitzer's vast personal wealth would have made it easy for him to spend thousands of dollars on prostitutes. The scion of a wealthy Manhattan real estate developer, Spitzer reported $1.9 million in income to the IRS in 2006. Spitzer's many enemies from Albany and Wall Street were emboldened, and some of his friends went from shock to outrage. "Particularly because of the reform platform on which he was elected governor, his ability to govern the state of New York and execute his duties as governor have been irreparably damaged," said Citizens Union, a good-government group that supported the crusading attorney general for governor in 2006 and provided critical support in his effort to reform Albany. The group had also urged him to resign. Case against Spitzer The case against Spitzer, a 48-year-old married man with three teenage daughters, started when banks noticed frequent cash transfers from several accounts and filed suspicious-activity reports with the Internal Revenue Service, a law enforcement official told the AP. The accounts were traced back to Spitzer, prompting public corruption investigators to open an inquiry. Spitzer has not been charged, and prosecutors would not comment on the case. Michele Hirshman, Spitzer's former deputy attorney general and now a member of the high-powered New York law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind Wharton & Garrison, has been retained to represent the governor. Assembly Republican leader James Tedisco warned Tuesday that if Spitzer had not resigned within 48 hours, he would call for impeachment. But any impeachment would have faced a difficult road in the Democrat-controlled Assembly, where articles of impeachment would require a majority vote to go to a trial. A trial would have been decided by a combined vote of the full Senate, which has a slim GOP majority, and the Court of Appeals. Source: msnbc