Arcuri, former prosecutor, mum on Spitzer cash

Even though two of his fellow Democrats have already announced plans to return campaign donations they received from disgraced New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, U.S. Representative Michael Arcuri, D-NY, a former Oneida County prosecutor, is yet to answer calls he rid himself of $6,000 he received from the man who resigned from office yesterday amid allegations he patronized a high-priced prostitute, the Majority Accountability Project (majorityap.com) has learned.

Before his election to Congress, Arcuri served as Oneida County District Attorney, where he boasts on his Congressional website that he was “a strong advocate for improving drug treatment programs, ending domestic violence and sexual assault.”

Numerous studies have linked prostitution to other criminal enterprises, including drug use and organized crime.  While New York Attorney General, Spitzer brought down a high-end prostitution ring linked to the infamous Gambino crime family.  Other studies have shown that those who engage in prostitution are often the victims of sexual abuse.

Despite his resignation, Spitzer could still face criminal charges, ranging from money laundering to violations of the Mann Act, a federal law prohibiting the crossing of state lines to engage in prostitution.  Spitzer reportedly ferried his $4,300 call girl from New York City to the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC, where he was on official state business.

Amid the scandal, U.S. Representative Tim Bishop, D-NY, “quickly gave (Spitzer’s)  money to charity,” while Eric Massa, the Democrat candidate challenging U.S. Representative Randy Kuhl, R-NY, returned his donation, according to a report in the Washington Post.

This is not the first time Arcuri has been called upon to return donations from someone at the center of a criminal probe.

Arcuri last year donated to charity $2,100 following a majorityap.com report that he received that money from a New York attorney who faced a 20-count federal indictment for criminal charges including obstructing justice, perjury, bribery and fraud.  The attorney, David Bershad, later pleaded guilty to conspiracy.

Despite telling Gannett News Service June 26, 2007, that Bershad’s “money will be returned immediately,” Arcuri waited nearly a month before ridding himself of Bershad’s donation.

Another colleague of Arcuri’s, U.S. Representative Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY, has remained silent on whether she will return Spitzer’s cash, even though she once demanded her 2006 opponent return a contribution because the donor owned a strip club.