New York City ? Federal investigators may be close to getting another key witness in the case of ex-Gov. Eliot Spitzer and the Emperors Club VIP, according to court records and an attorney familiar with the investigation.

Cecil Suwal, 23, was arrested earlier this month with three other people in connection with the suspected Internet prostitution operation and on March 18 was granted bail by a Manhattan federal magistrate-judge. She was charged with conspiracy, transporting women over state lines for sex and money laundering.

Suwal, of Cliffside Park, N.J., was released after signing a $500,000 personal bond secured by $50,000 cash and given until April 8 to fulfill all conditions of the bond, including that she have three co-signers, records show. The three-week period was seen by a defense lawyer familiar with the criminal case as generous and a sign that she was about to cooperate with investigators.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney’s office wouldn’t comment on whether Suwal was cooperating. Her defense attorney, Alberto Ebanks, didn’t return telephone messages and e-mails seeking comment Friday about Suwal’s status.