IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn was ordered held without bail on Monday as new details emerged about the alleged sexual assault of a maid at a swanky New York City hotel. Law enforcement sources told FoxNews.com that blood found on bed sheets in the luxury suite in Manhattan’s Sofitel Hotel, where Strauss-Kahn stayed Friday night, could support the sexual assault claim of the alleged victim. A rape kit found DNA evidence on the woman, who sources described as ashamed to report the violent attack. She eventually told law enforcement officials the graphic details. Crime scene investigators found additional evidence at the scene, removing fibers and DNA and swaths of carpet and fabric from the suite for further forensic testing, sources said.
Strauss-Kahn appeared Monday in a New York City courtroom, where prosecutors said the IMF chief may have engaged in similar behavior in the past and should be considered a flight risk. Defense attorneys said Strauss-Kahn denies all charges against him. A Manhattan judge ruled that Strauss-Kahn must remain jailed at least until his next court hearing -- slated for May 20 -- for attempted rape and other charges.
The 32-year-old hotel maid had been a model employee; no complaints had been registered against her in her three years working as a housekeeper at Sofitel hotel, the source said. And she was following protocol when she opened the door to Strauss-Kahn’s room after the noon checkout time on Saturday. Sources said that the IMF chief, who was seen as a viable candidate for president of France, arrived in the U.S. on Wednesday May 11. He was supposed to be on the first flight from New York to Washington, D.C., Saturday morning. He missed his flight but did not arrange a late checkout, law enforcement sources said, and should not have been in the room.
Strauss-Kahn was plucked off an Air France flight by Port Authority police who halted the plane as it was moving down the runway in line for takeoff. When the officers boarded the plane and located the IMF chief in first class, the alleged assaulter tried to resist arrest, sources said. Strauss-Khan, known in some circles as “the great seducer,” was picked out in a police lineup by his accuser on Sunday, authorities said.
A somber-looking Strauss-Kahn, wearing a black jacket and pants and a gray shirt, was later escorted out of the Harlem police precinct where he was being held, his arms behind his back. He was taken to a hospital for the exam requested by prosecutors to obtain more evidence in the case, and then to a Manhattan court early Monday.
The IMF has said they would deny immunity because the alleged assault occurred when Strauss-Kahn was on a personal visit, not a business trip.
Law enforcement sources said Strauss-Kahn appeared to be in such a rush to get out of the hotel he left his cell phone and other personal effects behind in his room.
