On the crime of structuring:

Structuring involves creating a series of financial movements designed to obscure the true purpose of the payments.

So this started as an IRS investigation into structuring and when it was determined it was the Governor, Justice brought in the the FBI's Public Corruption Squad?

How long was Gov. Spitzer doing business with the Escort service? According to the Affidavit for the Arrest and Search Warrants, the investigation commenced in October, 2007. Between then and last week, when they filed the complaint against the defendants, they got wiretaps, search warrants and examined 5,000 phone calls and text messages and 6,000 emails. They also got a confidential informant and undercover officers to infiltrate the group. The wiretap was obtained in January, 2008.

The search warrant for the e-mails was obtained on January 25, 2008. Before filing the Complaint against the defendants last week, they also examined the company's bank records for 2004 - 2008.

According to the affidavit, the Emporer's Club employees said most clients paid them either by wire transfer or direct deposit.

The criminal case against Emporer's Club was filed by complaint, not Indictment. There is no Indictment of anyone yet. Did they not use the grand jury? Why not?

Update: As I wrote in a comment below, could they be trying to squeeze Spitzer into pleading to an information charging structuring and threatening they will take it to a grand jury on the more serious Mann Act charge if he doesn't?

Update: From Peter G. in the comments on what it would take for a structuring convicton:

there was to be or would have been a transaction with the financial institution (deposit or withdrawal, especially) of more than $10,000, to be done with monetary instruments (cash, especially), but the transaction was intentionally broken up into smaller units of under $10,000 for the purpose of evading the bank's (known) reporting requirement under 31 USC 5313 and 31 CFR 103.22 or for the purpose of evading taxes. 31 CFR 103.11(gg), made criminal by 31 USC 5324.

Update: Jane at Firedoglake writes:

A source familiar with the investigation into the Emperor's Club prostitution ring says that the defendants in the case are the head of the club, the day-to-day business manager and two booking agents. Further, the case has apparently been done for quite a while, and the US Attorney in charge -- Michael Garcia -- "has been tearing his hair out" trying to get someone higher up at the DoJ in Washington to look at the prosecution memo and sign off, because of the need to get their authorization before indicting a public figure.

I suspect that means DOJ did not sign off on it and there is no authorization to prosecute Spitzer. Why? Because as I've mentioned a few times, the other defendants were charged by Complaint, rather than by a grand jury Indictment. I've been wondering why, since this is a multi-month investigation. Usually cases are brought by Complaint when its a fast bust and there's no grand jury sitting before the defendants have to appear in court.

Here the defendants in the Emporers' Club case were charged by Complaint. Did the case not go to the grand jury and if not, why? Was, as Jane writes, a request made by the U.S. Attorney to convene a grand jury into Spitzer? If so, did Main Justice nix it?

Lots of unanswered questions.