The office of Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance emailed reporters this afternoon with a copy of the letter it sent to the defense attorneys for Dominique Strauss-Kahn, detailing prosecutors’ concerns about the veracity of his accuser.
According to the letter, the accuser lied extensively in her application for asylum, claiming her husband had been mistreated by the Guinean regime, and that she had been gang-raped. The letter says the accuser–who reportedly cannot read or write–studied audio tapes in order to memorize a consistent story for her asylum interviews, and tearfully recounted the story of her gang rape to D.A. investigators before admitting the story was false. But she told investigators that she could truthfully testify as to another rape that she had suffered in Guinea.
The letter also claims that the accuser changed her account of the events immediately following her alleged assault by Strauss-Kahn. She initially claimed that she fled to a main hallway and waited for him to leave before contacting a supervisor; the letter says she subsequently admitted that she had returned to clean the room, and another suite, before notifying a supervisor.
She also admitted to falsely claiming a friend’s child as a dependent on her taxes. The letter says she was also untruthful “about a variety of additional topics concerning her history, background, present circumstances and personal relationships.”
In a press conference earlier today, Vance said the office would continue to protect the woman’s privacy and pursue the charges.
The letter:
dsk_da_office_letter
