Strauss-Kahn Case Unravels as Questions Are Posed About Accuser

MANHATTAN STATE SUPREME COURT- Investigators in the Manhattan District Attorney’s office have discovered significant inconsistencies with the account of the chambermaid who claimed Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former head of the International Monetary Fund, sexually assaulted her in a luxury hotel room in May, sources said Thursday.

Revelations the accuser allegedly considered financial gain and engaged in relationships categorized as questionable with a drug dealer prompted Manhattan prosecutors to inform his lawyers and submit to a bail modification hearing Friday, court sources said.

On May 26th, Strauss-Kahn’s attorneys William Taylor III and Benjamin Brafman sent a three-page letter to Cyrus Vance Jr., the Manhattan district attorney, notifying him they uncovered information that they said would hurt the prosecution’s case.

“Were we intent on improperly feeding the media frenzy, we could now release substantial information that in our view would seriously undermine the quality of this prosecution and also gravely undermine the credibility of the complainant in this case,” they wrote.

Upon receiving the letter, senior prosecutors provided congruous details about their findings to defense attorneys, sources said.

Prosecutors quickly found what they had considered as a solid case was actually like tracking a ricocheting pinball.

Justice Michael Obus of State Supreme Court in Manhattan is expected to review the terms of Strauss-Kahn's $1 million bail at the request of prosecutors, a source confirmed.

The New York Times first reported the unraveling of the case, noting conversations by the defense and prosecution about dismissing the felony counts against the French financier without ruling out prosecuting the misdemeanor count.

Erin Duggan, the chief spokeswoman for the Manhattan District Attorney’s office declined to comment in advance of the hearing Friday.

Lawyers for the accuser and Strauss-Kahn also declined to comment on the matter.