Criminal law, International, Politics, Society

IMF President Strauss-Kahn Arrested For Assault of New York Hotel Maid

IMF President Dominique Strauss-Kahn last week was widely viewed as heading to the French Presidency. He is now viewed this week as more likely to head to an American jail. In an extraordinary criminal complaint, Strauss-Kahn is described as a sexual predator who spontaneously assaulted a hotel maid. And we thought former World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz was an embarrassment.

[UPDATE: Strauss-Kahn has been declared a flight risk and denied bond. Given his effort to leave the country, this is not too surprising. However, it is not clear why an electronic bracelet cannot be used in such a case.]
The account that has emerged resembles an international version of “Bonfire of the Vanities.” The recent case of Moshe Katsav comes to mind where an international leader proved to be a rapist.

What is fascinating is that the IMF was well-aware of Strauss-Kahn’s reputation for affairs with subordinates and his nickname “The Great Seducer.” However, it appears he may be more of “The Great Assaulter” given the account of the 32-year-old maid. Strauss-Kahn, 62, had just checked into the luxury Sofitel hotel in a $3,000 a night suite ( pretty pricey digs for a guy who started his political career as a member of the Union of Communist Students and was the leading Socialist candidate for President of France). Strauss-Kahn allegedly came out of the bathroom naked and chased her down a hallway and forced her into a bedroom. He then reportedly forced her to give him oral sex. She said she was able to break away and escape. She ran and told the staff.

What then unfolded is right out of a movie. Strauss-Kahn left the hotel so fast that he left his cellphone in the room. He was sitting in first-class on a flight to France that was about to taxi to the runway when police arrested him. He was then identified by the woman in a line up.

The contemporary account given by the woman and her injuries treated at the hospital makes for a particularly strong basis for a criminal case. Her selection of Strauss-Kahn in a lineup obviously reinforces that case. Finally, the reportedly rapid departure from the hotel will not sit well with the jury. We have not heard his side of this case but his attorney has a steep climb to get him into a better position. If this allegation is ultimately supported, one might expect to hear of additional cases since this sounds like an individual who was unable to control such impulses. Such extreme cases are rarely isolated and tend to be the end of a pattern. There will be an obvious interest by detectives in any modus operandi evidence and whether he had committed such assaults in the past and gotten away with it. That is not to say that Strauss-Kahn has such a history but this is very extreme alleged conduct and will likely be a focus of the police.

It will also be interesting to see if there is a claim of medication or some other influence producing this violent reaction.

It looks like, either way this goes, the Socialists will have to find another candidate. They might want to start with someone who does not need a $3000 a night hotel room or a criminal lawyer on retainer.

Source: Yahoo

127 thoughts on “IMF President Strauss-Kahn Arrested For Assault of New York Hotel Maid”

  2. This woman is a skarf wearing muslim that possibly has aids. I think that she is telling the truth. Seems like unlikely bait for a Jewish man with a known reputation for womanizing. I say he attacked her, and it had nothing to do with Tim Geitner. He was leaving the IMF to run for president of France.

  4. FYI,

    I do not doubt that the claims and allegations are as they are claimed….I do not doubt that he did what she said…But think about this….she was granted Political Asylum…When….Why?

    DSK ACCUSER WAS GRANTED ASYLUM BY US GOVERNMENT

    http://hat4uk.wordpress.com/2011/05/19/dsk-accuser-was-granted-asylum-by-us-government/

    This is leaving a bad taste in my mouth and 1) I do not do this…and 2) I was not even a party to this…..

    I do just have more questions…..

    Say that the money guys knew his weaknesses…and it was a set up…to get him out of the way…

    Consider this….Strauss met with Timothy Geithner to lay out his plans to get firm up the IMF with restrictions on money loaned etc…. it would impact the US and its trade policy’s thereby impacting the dollar causing the costs to increase….but then again look at this……

    The United States is the largest shareholder in the IMF, which gives them considerable influence over what happens there, and nothing can make it without their consent. The IMF Executive Board met informally Monday to discuss the situation created by the arrest of Mr. Strauss-Kahn two days earlier.

    http://financesjournal.com/blogs/usa-dsk-unable-lead-imf-3676.html

    BTW….. I think the guy is a scab….I just do not like the uneasy feeling I have knowing what the government is capable of….that is all….

  5. From Swarthmore mom’s link, which Blouise also posted — an “examiner” link:

    “She was granted political asylum and is living in a residential building kept for adults with HIV/AIDS, says the New York Post. No statement has been made as to whether the young lady has HIV or AIDS due to confidentiality laws but only people with AIDS or HIV are allowed to stay in the complex.”

  8. SwM,

    p.s. … AY always gets me with his teasers but, considering what we know up to this point, I believe the victim is telling the truth.

  9. SwM,

    Yes … I originally went to the link off of your post … I reposted the link to source the quote I plucked out regarding the Magna Carta since it was rather off topic.

  10. Blouise, I posted the same thing above. After reading about the woman, I am no longer suspicious that this was any kind of set-up.

  11. AY,

    Hmmmm … when you get a chance, email me or post with a little more info … your “teasers” have given me pause ….

    And, for no reason except that found it interesting (considering our torture issue with the Bush and Obama administrations) here is a quote and the source:

    “The news about Strauss-Kahn not getting away with his alleged crime is in keeping with the Magna Carta which was written in the 13th century and states that nobody, not even the king, is above the law. This chater is the foundation of many democratic countries.”

    http://www.examiner.com/top-news-in-san-francisco/imf-head-under-suicide-watch-maid-lived-aids-complex

  12. Strauss-Kahn Said to Be Moved to Courthouse
    5/19/2011
    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-19/strauss-kahn-said-to-be-moved-to-courthouse-amid-second-request-for-bail.html

    Excerpt:
    In a filing yesterday, Strauss-Kahn, a French citizen, said he didn’t intend to leave the U.S. without court permission and waived his extradition rights.

    His bail proposal includes 24-hour home detention in Manhattan with electronic monitoring, in addition to posting $1 million in cash, according to court filings. He previously surrendered his French passport to the district attorney’s office. His so-called laissez-passer travel document issued by the United Nations will be given to his lawyers, who will turn it over to prosecutors, according to the filing.
    ‘All My Strength’

    Strauss-Kahn said in the resignation statement that he wanted “to devote all my strength, all my time, and all my energy to proving my innocence.” Benjamin Brafman, a lawyer for Strauss-Kahn, has said his client will plead not guilty.

    Assistant District Attorney John “Artie” McConnell told the judge at the May 16 bail hearing that Strauss-Kahn had every incentive to flee. If convicted of the most serious charges against him, he could be sentenced to as long as 25 years in prison, McConnell said.

    McConnell also said Strauss-Kahn has “substantial” resources and “an extensive network of contacts throughout the world.”

    Erin Duggan, chief spokeswoman for Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., declined to comment on today’s hearing.

    Another hearing is set for tomorrow, when prosecutors will have to disclose whether a grand jury has indicted Strauss-Kahn.

    The hotel housekeeper who reported being attacked testified before the grand jury yesterday, her lawyer, Jeffrey Shapiro, said in an interview.
    ‘Exhausted’

    “She was exhausted and emotionally drained,” he said. “I don’t know that she’s finished. I don’t know that she knows.”

    Shapiro his client was “very concerned about the idea that this man would be free.”

    In Strauss-Kahn’s request for bail, his lawyers said his family has ties in the U.S.

    “Mr. Strauss-Kahn is a loving husband and father and a highly regarded international diplomat, lawyer, politician, economist and professor with no prior criminal record,” they said.

    He has been married for more than 10 years to Anne Sinclair, who was born in New York, according to court filings. She completed part of her secondary schooling in the U.S.

    The couple has lived in Washington since November 2007, when he was named managing director of the IMF, according to the filing. A copy of a deed in Sinclair’s name to a Georgetown home bought in 2007 for $4 million was included in yesterday’s filing.
    Daughter in Manhattan

    At the May 16 bail hearing, Brafman asked the judge to let Strauss-Kahn stay with his daughter, who lives in Manhattan.

    Camille Strauss-Kahn is a graduate student at Columbia University and lives on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, according to yesterday’s filing.

    The case is People v. Strauss-Kahn, 1225782, Criminal Court of the City of New York (New York County).

  14. AY,

    Well we’re certainly living in “a stranger than fiction” world. Who knows… Hard to be sure of much these days…
    …”

  16. Coincident or not…bail hearing…or not…resigning Wednesday…bring questions to mind…..

    Was not this guy set to issue some rather tough international financial regulations that would have impacted the American financial markets…..on Wednesday……hmmm…..

    FYI, I do not subscribe to the fact that Oswald acted alone…even if he did it….and I am not so sure of that…..

  17. AN – too bad he didn’t think about his children, his wife and his friends a bit earlier.

    Frank,

    I have to agree…

  18. “Commentators said it was unusual for Mr. Strauss-Kahn to use personal language, including references to his wife, family and colleagues at the I.M.F.” -NY Times article

  19. AN – too bad he didn’t think about his children, his wife and his friends a bit earlier.

  20. Roco – what does Marx have to do with Socialism? If you don’t know that there is a difference between communism and socialism I can understand why you don’t see the problem.

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