The head of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, is being held by U.S. authorities following allegations by a New York City hotel maid that he sexually assaulted her. INSIDE EDITION has the story.
The head of the International Monetary Fund was ordered held without bail today after being charged with sexually assaulting a maid at a luxury Manhattan hotel.
62-year-old Dominique Strauss-Kahn, one of the world's most powerful bankers, looked grim, unshaven, and exhausted as he was brought into court still in the clothes he has been wearing for three days.
"The people are requesting that the court remand the defendant without bail. He has no incentive to stay in this country and every incentive and resource with which to leave," said a prosecuting attorney.
His attorney offered to post $1 million in bail, but he was ordered held because his wealth and influence would make it easy to flee.
"We are disappointed, but this case has just begun. He is still presumed innocent," said Strauss-Kahn's attorney at a press conference.
And we're learning new graphic details about the shocking allegations. The Sofitel is one of the most luxurious hotels in Manhattan. Strauss-Kahan was staying in a lavish $3,000 a night suite.
Police say the assault happened around noon when the maid walked in, believing that the suite was empty. That's when the French dignitary allegedly emerged from the bathroom completely nude, grabbed the maid, tore at her clothes, and threw her on the bed. She told police that she managed to break free but he chased her down the hallway into the bathroom where she says she was sexually assaulted before he let her go.
The arrest is making news around the world. The New York Daily News called him "Le Perv" and the New York Post called him "French Whine."
He reportedly threw a hissy fit at a Manhattan police precinct, demanding to be treated as VIP. Instead, he spent hours handcuffed to a bench.
As the world's banker, Strauss-Kahn rubbed shoulders with President Obama and was considered the frontrunner in next year's Presidential elections in France against incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy.
Strauss-Kahn is married to Anne Sinclair, an American-born TV journalist known as France's Barbara Walters.
She said in a statement: "I don't believe for a moment the allegations against my husband. I have no doubt his innocence will be established."
On The View, Barbara Walters was left wondering what could make such a rich and powerful politician attack a maid.
"The only thing that makes sense to me is a sexual addiction, like an addiction to drugs, that you cannot control," said Walters.
