New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer makes a statement to reporters during a news conference Monday in New York where he apologized to his family and the public after a report that he was involved in a prostitution ring.

Albany, N.Y. ? He was once known as “Mr. Clean” and “The Sheriff of Wall Street.” Now he’s just “Client 9.”

The tough, crime-busting image Gov. Eliot Spitzer cultivated much of his adult life was steamrolled in an instant Monday by steamy allegations of an encounter with a high-priced call girl in a Washington hotel the day before Valentine’s Day.

At a Manhattan news conference before about 100 reporters, a glassy-eyed Spitzer, his shellshocked wife at his side, apologized to his family and the people of New York.

But he gave no details of what he was sorry for, did not discuss his political future and ignored shouted questions about whether he would resign.

“I have disappointed and failed to live up to the standard I expected of myself,” said the 48-year-old father of three teenage girls. “I must now dedicate some time to regain the trust of my family.”

The governor has not been charged, and prosecutors would not comment on the case. A spokesman for Spitzer said the governor has retained the large Manhattan law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind Wharton & Garrison.

He was caught on a federal wiretap arranging to meet a prostitute from a call-girl business known as the Emperors Club VIP, according to a law enforcement official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the investigation is still going on. He was identified in court papers only as “Client 9.”

He allegedly paid for the call girl to take a train from New York to Washington – a move that opened the transaction up to federal prosecution because she crossed state lines.

The accusations mark a mortifying and possibly career-ending fall for a politician who had practically made ethics his calling card.

“I have acted in a way that violates my obligations to my family and violates my, or any, sense of right and wrong,” Spitzer said at the news conference. “I apologize first and most importantly to my family. I apologize to the public, whom I promised better.”

“Crusader of the Year,” proclaimed Time magazine in 2002, when Spitzer was New York’s wildly popular attorney general. Spitzer made his name taking on Wall Street barons and analysts who failed to play fair with everyday investors.

“Here’s a guy whose entire career has been based on being ‘The Sheriff of Wall Street,’ ‘Mr. Morality,’ the guy who is standing firm for ethics in government,” said Maurice Carroll, director of Quinnipiac University’s Polling Institute. “For Eliot Spitzer, it’s a double surprise because it’s his whole public persona.”

The scandal came 16 months after Spitzer stormed into the governor’s office with a historic margin of victory, vowing to root out corruption in New York government in the same way that he took on Wall Street executives as attorney general.

But his first year in office was marred by turmoil, and the latest scandal raised questions about whether he would make it through a second year.

“He has to step down. No one will stand with him,” said Rep. Peter King, a Republican congressman from Long Island. “I never try to take advantage or gloat over a personal tragedy. However, this is different. This is a guy who is so self-righteous, and so unforgiving.”

Democratic Lt. Gov. David Paterson would become New York’s first black governor if Spitzer were to resign.