A Morgan Stanley spokesman said that a banker associated with the so-called "Millionaire Madam" was placed on leave, according to ABC News. David Walker, with whom Anna Gristina was said to be meeting at the time of her arrest, said the two knew each other but only interacted socially.
Gristina has pled not guilty on charges of promoting prostitution; her lawyer has said she was starting an online dating service. Prosecutors say she was running a high-end prostitution ring, operating out of a tony Manhattan address and bragging that she had friends in high places who would tip her off if a bust was in the works.
At Gristina's arraignment, prosecutors said she was meeting with the Morgan Stanley banker to expand her prostitution business online. Walker told local news site DNAinfo.comthat Gristina had "other people" with whom she worked at the bank and said he wasn't involved in any business dealings with her.
DNAinfo described Walker's suspension as temporary, but cited a company spokesman said the 47-year-old Walker would remain on leave until both the District Attorney's and Morgan Stanley's own investigation. Walker has not been charged in the investigation.
It's been a rough week for Morgan Stanley bankers. According to Bloomberg, top bond executive William Bryan Jennings pled not guilty today in Connecticut on assault and hate crime charges for allegedly stabbing a cabdriver in December after a dispute over a fare.
