The French political bigshot who heads the International Monetary Fund was arrested for allegedly sodomizing a Manhattan hotel maid yesterday — hauled off an Air France flight just moments before takeoff from Kennedy Airport, police sources said. Three Port Authority detectives pulled Dominique Strauss-Kahn from the plane’s first-class cabin just two minutes before it was due to depart for Paris, according to the police sources.
Strauss-Kahn, 62 — who was expected to challenge French President Nicholas Sarkozy in the 2012 election — was turned over to NYPD officers and brought to the Special Victims Unit’s uptown squad room. Strauss-Kahn is awaiting arraignment on charges of a criminal sex act, attempted rape and unlawful imprisonment, NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said.
The trouble began at around 1 p.m. yesterday when a 32-year-old housekeeper entered Strauss-Kahn’s $3,000-a-night suite at the luxury Sofitel on West 44th Street — apparently unaware he was still inside. The married Strauss-Kahn was in the bathroom, and emerged naked, chased her down a hallway and pulled her into a bedroom, where “he jumps her,” a source said.
“She pulled away from him and he dragged her down a hallway into the bathroom where he engaged in a criminal sexual act, according to her account to detectives,” Browne said. “He tried to lock her into the hotel room.” Soon afterward, Strauss-Kahn got dressed and headed off to JFK for a flight to Paris.
The head of the International Monetary Fund has been remanded in custody accused of a sex attack on a US hotel maid.
Dominique Strauss-Kahn was refused bail by a New York judge who decided he might attempt to flee the country.
The 62-year-old, who before his arrest at the weekend was seen as a favourite to become France's next president, must stay in jail until his next hearing on May 20, despite offering to post a million dollar bail bond.
Strauss-Kahn is accused of attacking the maid who went in to clean his 3,000-dollars (£1,850) a night penthouse suite at a luxury hotel near Times Square.
Defence Lawyer Benjamin Brafman said his client denied any wrongdoing.
Strauss-Kahn faces charges including attempted rape, sex abuse, criminal sex act, unlawful imprisonment and forcible touching.
The top count is punishable by five to 25 years in prison.
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