NEW YORK – He made his career as a hard-charging prosecutor, targeting the rich and powerful of Wall Street as he championed the struggle for ethics and morality in business and government.

Gov.Eliot Spitzer offered an apology but admitted no wrongdoing.

Now, Eliot Spitzer finds himself squarely within the crosshairs of his own ethics and morality scandal. Not surprisingly, there has been no shortage of opinion concerning the precarious position of Spitzer’s political career. Read more about the political fallout

The richer irony, according to many who don’t count themselves as fans of the New York governor, is the real possibility of criminal charges arising out of this scandal.

Although it is true that so-called “johns” are not generally charged (and certainly not in federal court), this is not a simple case of soliciting a prostitute on some street corner.

Reports suggest that Spitzer had engaged in a number of transactions with the high-priced prostitution ring and that, in at least one instance, the transaction had required a prostitute to travel from New York to Washington for the assignation.

In addition, the situation had apparently come to the attention of federal authorities because of banking irregularities related to the governor’s attempts to disguise the transfer of funds for the services provided.

If what is being reported is true, authorities may well be looking at charges focusing on the violation of a statute dealing with the interstate transportation of a woman for purposes of prostitution. And they could be looking the possible violation of a number of banking laws related to Spitzer’s apparent scheme for making payments to the prostitution ring.

It seems, then, that Spitzer’s widely anticipated resignation will not necessarily signal the end of this story. The moral? If you choose to anoint yourself “The Sheriff,” you better be sure your badge isn’t tarnished.

– Jack Ford, In Session anchor