NEW YORK (Reuters) - The man who led a prostitution ring whose clients included former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer was sentenced on Friday to 30 months in prison.
Mark Brener, 63, who has been held in detention since his arrest last March, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit prostitution offenses and money laundering.
In sentencing Brener, U.S. District Judge Denny Chin said he was unmoved by an appeal by Brener's lawyer that he had been "collateral damage" in the Spitzer investigation. Chin also dismissed the notion that prostitution is a victimless crime.
"It may go on all the time," said Chin. "It's certainly my view that a number of people are significantly hurt by this."
Last November, federal prosecutors said they had decided not to prosecute Spitzer, who resigned as governor last March after he had patronized a $1,000-an-hour prostitute.
Prostitution is illegal in most U.S. states, but clients are rarely prosecuted.
Brener was one of four people charged with running the Emperors Club VIP. The ring's manager was sentenced last month to six months in prison. A booking agent was sentenced to one year of probation and a second is still awaiting sentencing.
During the hearing Brener broke down in tears as he prepared to speak. "I am sorry, truly sorry," he said.
If the case had gone to trial and he had been convicted, Brener -- a U.S. citizen born in Poland -- would have faced up to 25 years in prison.
