A woman who accused Eliot Spitzer of attacking her inside the Plaza Hotel then fled the country is now facing charges she tried to extort $50,000 from the former governor.
Svetlana Zakharova Travis was arrested last night after she returned to the city, and is charged with grand larceny by extortion.
She is due in court Tuesday.
Back in February, the 26-year-old told police that Spitzer pushed her and briefly grabbed her by the neck during an argument at the Plaza.
His lawyer said Spitzer knew Travis for some time and that she had invited him to her hotel room.
But Spitzer denied attacking her.
Travis is also charged with forgery in an unrelated case where police say she used a New Jersey man's stolen ID to take out an apartment lease that ended up costing him $18,000.
Spitzer was elected governor in 2006, but resigned in 2008 after a prostitution scandal.