Three weeks ago, a five-year investigation culminated in the arrest of “The Millionaire Madam,” 44-year-old Anna Gristina, an Upper West Side soccer mom who ran a “million-dollar prostitution ring” out of her apartment. Gristina is currently in Rikers, having failed at every attempt to get bail – you can read more about what Gristina is accused of and her legal case here and here. Apparently, she was caught on tape “boasting” about her prostitution scheme. Also, some of her underage kids might have been employed by her in some capacity.

So now that the madam is in jail, some of her girls are speaking. One of the call girls has allegedly told investigators that John Edwards was one of her clients. Because… why not? Let’s just drown in sleaze.

A call girl working for alleged “Millionaire Madam” Anna Gristina told investigators she was paid to have sex with former U.S. Sen. John Edwards when he was in New York raising money for his failed presidential bid, DNAinfo has learned. Edwards is the first big name to surface in connection to Gristina’s alleged prostitution scheme run out of an Upper East Side apartment. His lawyers were contacted by DNAinfo, but did not comment.

According to “On The Inside” sources, Edwards allegedly hooked up with one of Gristina’s high-end hookers in 2007 when the dashing pol from North Carolina brought his then high-flying presidential campaign to the Big Apple. The one-night fling allegedly took place at an Upper East Side hotel suite and was arranged by an aide with help from a New Yorker familiar with Gristina’s prostitution ring, sources said.

The prostitute claiming to have slept with Edwards provided a detailed, first-hand account of their encounter to investigators in the Manhattan District Attorney’s office in 2008 after they began probing Gristina’s operation, sources said.

“Most of the women don’t have any idea about the identities of the men they sleep with,” a source explained. “How would they know a money man from Wall Street or the face of a lawyer or banker who shows up? But the face of the national politician?” the source rhetorically asked. “She knew.”

Investigators found the woman credible, but never notified federal authorities, seeing no reason to involve the feds in a low-level local infraction, sources told DNAinfo. At the time, investigators were shocked at the allegation because Edwards was then considered the All-American persona. “On The Inside” sources said investigators were able to substantiate that Edwards was in New York on a fund-raising tour at the time of the alleged encounter.

Records show the Edwards campaign spent thousands of dollars for near-monthly stays at the Loews Hotels Regency at 540 Park Ave. on the Upper East Side in 2007, along with stays at several other Manhattan hotels including a Comfort Inn on West 39th Street. The Loews Hotels Regency is also where he reportedly met videographer Rielle Hunter, who bore Edwards a love child while his wife, Elizabeth, battled cancer.

No charges, however, were ever brought against Edwards because pay-for-play sex is difficult to prove.

Gristina’s reputed “black book” client list allegedly contains powerful, wealthy, politically-connected and influential players, according to sources familiar with her estimated $15 million New York prostitution empire.

Sources told DNAinfo that the “Millionaire Madam’s” list of patrons shelling out thousands of dollars for weekend getaways includes: a Middle Eastern sheik, an international billionaire financier, a nightclub impresario, dozens of Wall Street hedge fund and investment bankers, and a network of lawyers — all of which are burning up phone lines trying to find out if their names could surface.

[From DNA Info]

Sure, it’s not like Edwards is currently in office or anything, but it’s interesting to look at the timeline, isn’t it? And the hooker actually went to the investigators and told them that Edwards was paying for sex – back in 2007! WHILE HE WAS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT. Sleazy, sleazy, sleazy. And this would have been the same time-frame as Rielle Hunter’s pregnancy too. Ugh. I hope “Johnny” does end up going to jail for the federal charges he’s fighting – and I hope Rielle doesn’t end up knocked up again.

Photos courtesy of WENN.