The sensational case of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, arrested and then freed on bail on charges of sexually assaulting a New York hotel chambermaid, has a widening cast of characters ranging from faithful wife Anne Sinclair to French President Nicolas Sarkozy to the accuser’s defender, Blake Diallo. See The Daily Beast roster of who’s who in the convoluted saga.
The former head of the International Monetary Fund and the French Socialist Party shocked the world when he was arrested in New York on May 14 for allegedly sexually assaulting a hotel maid. The sensational arrest seemed like something out of the movies: Strauss-Kahn was arrested at JFK International Airport while already abroad an Air France flight to Paris. Strauss-Kahn, married to one prominent French journalist Anne Sinclair, was then taken to New York’s infamous Riker’s Island. By the end of the week, he had resigned as the IMF managing director and released on $1 million bail into house arrest, taking up residence in a luxury Tribeca townhouse. The maid alleged Strauss-Kahn had emerged from the bathroom naked, grabbed her and forced her to perform oral sex on him. Strauss-Kahn has maintained the two had consensual sex, and a DNA test later proved that Strauss-Kahn’s sperm was on the accuser’s dress. By the beginning of June, the case began to fall apart: in early June, the accuser admitted she had lied on an asylum application, having claimed she was gang-raped in her native Guinea. On June 30, prosecutors admitted they had serious doubts about the accuser’s credibility, and Judge Michael Obus released Strauss-Kahn on his own recognizance. Even with the shocking turnaround, the charges have not yet been dropped, and Strauss-Kahn’s political future still remains in doubt, although some 64 percent of Socialists said they would welcome his return.
Anthony Behar, Sipa Press / AP Photo
Anne Sinclair, Strauss-Kahn’s third wife, has not only “stood behind her man,” she’s also paid an expensive price for it. Sinclair, born into a wealthy French family, paid nearly $6 million in bail and bonds for her husband, in addition to footing thousands of dollars for the Tribeca townhouse where the couple has been staying, and $200,000 for security. Prior to the forced relocation to New York, Strauss-Kahn and Sinclair divided their time between a $4 million Georgetown house and an apartment on the Place des Vosges in Paris, as well as a vacation home in Marrakesh, Morocco. Sinclair is heiress to an art dealer’s fortune, and is known as France’s “Barbara Walters.” As for the most recent scandal, Sinclair said “I don’t believe for a single second the accusations of sexual assault against my husband. I am certain his innocence will be proven.” But Sinclair is not unaware of her spouse’s reputation, nor does it bother her much. “Everyone knows that these things happen in couples’ lives,” she admitted of one of her husband’s public affair scandals. In 2006, Sinclair even said she was “proud” of his womanizing reputation, saying “it’s in important to seduce, for a politician.”
Aaron Showalter, Sipa Press / AP Photo
The goddaughter of Strauss-Kahn’s second wife, French writer Tristane Banon plans to file charges against the former IMF chief for allegedly assaulting her in 2002. Banon first claimed in 2007 that Strauss-Kahn had assaulted her, in a television interview where his name was bleeped out. Banon’s mother, Socialist councillor Anne Mansouret, talked her daughter out of pressing charge—something Mansouret said she now regrets. As a 22-year-old freelance journalist and childhood friend of Strauss-Kahn’s daughter, Camille, Banon said she went to interview Strauss-Kahn for a book about mistakes famous people made in the past. Banon said Strauss-Kahn unclasped her bra in the front and tried to pull down her jeans, and only let her go after she kicked him and accused him of attempted rape. In the 2007 talk show, Banon compared Strauss-Kahn to a “rutting chimpanzee.” Even if no criminal charges are ever filed in the Banon case, her claims have gone a long way in the court of public opinion—so much so that Strauss-Kahn reportedly plans to sue her for slander.
Charles Dolfi Michels, Plon Publishing / AP Photo
France’s President and Strauss-Kahn’s political rival, Nicolas Sarkozy are among those who stand to gain from the whole sordid affair. Prior to Strauss-Kahn’s arrest, DSK stood as the Socialists’ favorite likely candidate for president against the ever-more unpopular Sarkozy. Sarkozy reportedly was so threatened by Strauss-Kahn that many felt it was a “Machiavellian stroke” by Sarkozy to send his political rival to Washington to head the IMF. After Strauss-Kahn’s arrest, many in France wondered if there could be a conspiracy at play—and one with Sarkozy at the helm.
Facelly, Sipa / AP Photo
The woman at the center of the firestorm remains a mystery, at least in the U.S., where the media have declined to name her. A native of Guinea, she reportedly lives in The Bronx and has worked for the Sofitel for three years. The first reports about the alleged victim said she was a devout Muslim who wore a headscarf. But within a few weeks, the perception of Strauss-Kahn’s accuser shifted. The Manhattan district attorney’s office admitted on July 1 that they had serious doubts about her credibility, Prosecutors said they had learned that she had lied about being gang-raped on an asylum application in 2004, and lied about her actions following the alleged sexual assault. But the biggest hit to her credibility is her connection to a man in prison in Arizona, who some associates have called her “ex-husband.” She and this man had a conversation in a “unique dialect of Fulani,”, in which the accuser reportedly told the prisoner, “Don’t worry, this guy has a lot of money. I know what I’m doing.” Although investigators have for weeks been looking into whether she had any financial motive, sources said they have not found any evidence of blackmail Although the accuser said early on she would testify against Strauss-Kahn, prosecutors have to decide if it’s worth putting her on the stand. As one source said, they know “a really terrible witness can still be a victim.” But with the case turning into a classic “he said-she said” affaors, the accuser’s credibility matters even more. After her case fell apart last week, the maid and her team are on the offensive once again: On Tuesday, she filed suit against the New York Post for libel and defamation following the paper’s reports that she had worked as a prostitute. The complaint says the Post’s story was “malicious” and “showed a reckless disregard for the Plaintiff’s rights”.
Jennifer Graylock / AP Photo
The accuser’s so-called “ex-husband” is not short of controversy himself, and is reportedly an African immigrant as well. He is allegedly imprisoned in Arizona for drug charges, but sources said he also is linked to credit-card scams and other fraudulent activities. He also may figure in evidence that large amounts of money were placed in bank accounts in the accuser’s name.
Matt York / AP Photo
The sex crimes unit in the Manhattan Distict Attorney’s office is now being scrutinized, with the unraveling of Strauss-Kahn’s assault case—a scrutiny that has revealed the unit overlooked some holes in the investigation process. Lisa Friel, the unit chief, was taken off the Strauss-Kahn case soon after it was under way. But a day before the prosecutors’ case began to fall apart, Friel mysteriously resigned her job, citing “financial and other reasons” as part of her decision to search for a job in the private sector . A spokeswoman for the DA’s office insisted that Friel’s departure had nothing to do with the Strauss-Kahn’ case. Friel has declined to comment.
Richard Drew, Pool / AP Photo
When Strauss-Kahn was accused of sexual assault, it was no surprise that the then-IMF chief secured some of the best defense lawyers in the field. Famed celebrity attorney Benjamin Brafman—who initially represented Michael Jackson in a 2004 child molestation case and helped win acquittal for Sean “P. Diddy” Combs on charges related to a nightclub shooting—was selected to defend the high-profile perpetrator. “Most people who come to me are in really, really desperate situations,” Brafman once said in an interview. When news broke that prosecutors were considering dropping charges, Brafman boasted that his team “believed from the beginning that this case was not what it appeared to be”. William W. Taylor, the other half of Strauss-Kahn’s powerhouse defense team, has argued that DSK’s sexual encounter with the maid was consensual. After Strauss-Kahn was released from house arrest on Friday, Taylor said revelations of the maid’s lies were “a great relief” and pointed out “how easy it is for people to be charged with serious crimes and for there to be a rush in judgment."
David Karp / AP Photo
Reading from a letter she filed with the judge during Friday’s hearing, prosecutor Joan Illuzi-Orbon announced that her team would be reassessing “the strength of our case,” having learned that the Sofitel maid had lied on numerous occasions to investigators. One of the most damaging revelations was that the woman had lied about her actions in the moments after the alleged attack; she initially told investigators that she reported the incident to her supervisors immediately after it occurred, but later said she cleaned another room and even returned to Strauss-Kahn’s room to clean before going to her supervisor. Illuzi-Orbon admitted to the court that it would be hard for the prosecuting team to trust the accuser going forward. Though there were holes in the maid’s story, Illuzi-Orbon stressed that there were no gray areas in the forensic evidence gathered by investigators, which proved that a “sexual encounter” had indeed occurred between Strauss-Kahn and his accuser.
Allan Tannenbaum, Pool / Getty Images
Though New York State Supreme Court Judge Michael Obus freed Strauss-Kahn from house arrest on Friday, he reminded everyone in the courtroom that “the case was not over.” He announced that the next hearing would be on July 18 and that “there will be no rush to judgment”. Many of France’s political circles are nonetheless convinced the case is closed and are welcoming Strauss-Kahn back with open arms.
Richard Drew, Pool / AP Photo
While the prosecuting team believes the maid’s lies have undermined her credibility, attorney Kenneth Thompson has staunchly defended his client’s allegations of sexual assault. Speaking to the press outside the courtroom on Friday, he recounted the scene in detail, emphasizing that medical and forensic evidence—including bruises on the accuser’s vagina and a torn ligament in her shoulder—all but proved the encounter was forced. Though the woman has flip-flopped on other stories and details, Thompson maintained she “has never once changed a single thing about that encounter”.
Anthony Behar, Sipa / AP Photo
Steven Lane and Alan Sandomir, the Special Victims detectives who arrested Strauss-Kahn and escorted him on a “perp walk” from the NYPD stationhouse to central booking, have since been sensationalized as though they’re straight out of the popular television show, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” Strauss-Kahn’s French supporters immediately categorized the officers as egomaniacs who viewed the IMF chief’s humiliation as an opportunity to show off their SVU swag, but interviews with the detectives and their colleagues have revealed the exact opposite to be true. “There’s very few people who can do this job, who should do this job, who want to do this job,” Sandomir told Newsweek. He’s been on the Special Victims squad for 16 years, on the police force for 27, and also served as a U.S. Army intelligence officer in Europe during the Cold War. Detective Steven Lane is said to be so “ego-less” that he prefers not to take credit for his cases. Both men specialize in rape cases, particularly those involving recovered DNA. The fact that the head of the International Monetary Fund happened to be the man they cuffed this time around was irrelevant, they say.
Antonio Bolfo / Getty Images for Newsweek
Famed French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy has been one of Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s most vocal defenders from the very beginning. Levy has been friends with Strauss-Kahn for 20 years, and early on he complained that, “nothing in the world can justify a man being thus thrown to the dogs.” After word got out that the case was collapsing, Levy wrote, “If it’s truly to be over, Dominique Strauss-Kahn must be granted not only his freedom, but—even more importantly—restoration of his honor.”
Ben Curtis / AP Photo
Christine Lagarde was selected to replace Dominique Strauss-Kahn as managing director of the International Monetary Fund, beating out Agustin Carstens for the position. She became the first woman to head the IMF when her five-year term began on July 5th. Lagarde has served as France’s finance minister since 2007 (she previously served as France’s minister of foreign trade). In 2009, Forbes ranked Lagarde the 17th most powerful woman in the world. Interestingly, her contract with the IMF includes an ethics clause, which requires her to “observe the highest standards of ethical conduct,” and to “avoid even the appearance of impropriety.” No such clause appeared in the contract of her predecessor.
Michel Euler / AP Photo
Martine Aubry, head of the French Socialist Party and the mayor of Lille, is currently running for president of France. She is famous for pushing France’s 35-hour week. The French left is polling well and expected to win in the election, and Aubry is currently participating in the Socialist Party’s primary. The primary was set up when it seemed that frontrunner Strauss-Kahn would no longer be able to run for president. Aubry declared her candidacy just days before prosecutors made it known that the case was collapsing. Upon hearing the news, Aubry said, “I hope the American justice system will establish the whole truth and allow Dominique to emerge from this nightmare.”
Harlem Desir is the interim leader of the French Socialist Party. He took over for Martine Aubry when she announced that she would run for president of France. Desir recently hinted that Dominique Strauss-Kahm still has a chance to run for president. He said, “It’s Dominique Strauss-Kahn who will decide himself how he wants to participate in public life when he is able to. No one has the intention to prevent someone, no matter who it is, from being a candidate.”
Alpha Conde is the current president of Guinea, the accuser’s home country. He has connections to many major French political players, including Nicholas Sarkozy, which has fueled conspiracy theories in the case. However, it seems unlikely he would have been involved in any conspiracies against Strauss-Kahn. After hearing the case was collapsing; Conde voiced his support for Strauss-Kahn. He said, “We (he and Strauss-Kahn) are both members of the Socialist Party, the French Socialist Party is a member of the Socialist International, so I am very happy for him and I hope his sufferings will not have a lasting effect.”
Blake Diallo is the manager of the 2115 Café in Harlem. Along with café owner Ibrahim Fofanah, he held a press conference soon after the incident to vouch for the accuser. Diallo found the accuser her first lawyer, and at first, he referred to himself as her brother. He later acknowledged he is not her brother and explained that, “in Africa people call each other brother and sister.”
