Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
IMF Head Denied Bail, Lawyers Suggest Consensual Encounter With Maid
By
Jen Chung
Published May 16, 2011
Modified May 16, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Gothamist
View all 5
By
Jen Chung
Published May 16, 2011
Modified May 16, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the head of the International Monetary Fund, was denied bail during his arraignment on sexual assault charges today. Strauss-Kahn, a leading French politician who had been expected to challenge Nicolas Sarkozy, is accused of forcing a Sofitel hotel maid to perform oral sex in his $3,000/night suite on Saturday, but his lawyers are apparently going with the "it was a consensual act" route, as defense lawyer Benjamin Brafman said, "The evidence we believe will not be consistent with a forcible encounter."
However, prosecutors said that Strauss-Kahn tried to vaginally rape the maid first, "He grabbed the victim's chest without consent, attempted to remove her pantyhose, and forcibly grabbed the victim's vaginal area. His penis made contact with the victim's mouth twice through the use of force." The victim, a 32-year-old African immigrant who lives in the Bronx, identified Strauss-Kahn in a police line-up.
Strauss-Kahn's legal team had argued Strauss-Kahn's bail be $1 million, but the Manhattan DA's office argued, “He has almost no incentive to stay in this country and every incentive to leave. If he went to France, we would have no legal mechanism to guarantee his return to this country.“ Brafman had argued, "The defendant has an interest to clear his name. Life before the arrest will not be the same as after the arrest." ADA John McConnell, though, said, "Some of this information include reports that he has in fact engaged in conduct similar to the conduct alleged in this complaint on at least one other occasion," referring to an incident that occurred outside of the U.S.
The judge sided with the DA's office—"When I hear that your client was at J.F.K. Airport about to board a flight, that raises some concern"—and remanded the 62-year-old to police custody, and Brafman said afterward, "We are obviously disappointed by the court's decision. This battle has just begun. We believe that we'll prove in our judgment that Mr. Strauss Kahn is innocent of these charges."
And now it turns out there was no cell phone in the hotel room: The Daily News reports, "Contrary to earlier reports, sources say Strauss-Kahn did not leave his cell phone at the hotel. The banking big-wig carries two and had misplaced one when he went to the airport. He did call the hotel to see if he left it there, which tipped cops off to the fact that he was about to board a flight."
Tagged
dominique strauss-kahn
hotel maid
imf
international monetary fund
sexual attack
sofitel
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Mamdani launches new team to help NYers keep SNAP, Medicaid benefits
Nearly 1 million in the city risk losing benefits as a result of new federal restrictions.
By
Caroline Lewis
Published Oct 19, 2026 at 12:43 p.m. ET
Riders at 53rd St. station where man was fatally shot say they worry about gun violence
A 26-year-old died after being shot on the platform at the Midtown station. Commuters are rattled.
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
News
Riders at 53rd St. station where man was fatally shot say they worry about gun violence
A 26-year-old died after being shot on the platform at the Midtown station. Commuters are rattled.
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
These are the NYC neighborhoods that will get free 2-K next fall
By
Karen Yi
Early Addition: Get to know Wanda, the donkey in the Met's 'La Bohème'
By
James Ramsay
Eric Adams' NYC buildings boss Eric Ulrich heads to trial, 3 years after arrest
By
David Brand
and
Samantha Max
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .