Lawyers say DSK had sex but committed no crime

(CBS/AP) PARIS - Lawyers defending Dominique Strauss-Kahn against allegations he was involved in a French prostitution ring say he is being unfairly targeted for his active extramarital sex life and committed no crime.

They are also protesting a judge's order barring the former International Monetary Fund chief from talking to the media pending further investigation.

Strauss-Kahn, a former French presidential hopeful, was handed preliminary charges Monday alleging he was involved in a hotel prostitution ring in French city of Lille.

Lawyer Henri Leclerc said Tuesday that Strauss-Kahn didn't know he was having sex with prostitutes, and that he's certain the case against Strauss-Kahn will crumble.

Investigating judges questioned the man known in France as DSK on Monday for about eight hours and gave him preliminary charges of "aggravated procurement in an organized gang," lawyer Richard Malka said. Under French law, preliminary charges mean authorities have reason to believe a crime was committed but allow more time for investigation.

The case against Strauss-Kahn hinges on whether he knew he was partying with prostitutes, and whose money was used to pay them. Lawyers for the ex-IMF chief have acknowledged that he attended orgies.

A New York court is holding a hearing Wednesday in a civil case in which a hotel maid accuses Strauss-Kahn of sexual assault. 

Strauss-Kahn quit the IMF after the New York hotel maid said he sexually assaulted her in May. The criminal charges were later dropped when prosecutors said the maid's testimony was unreliable. Strauss-Kahn said the encounter was "inappropriate" but insisted it wasn't violent.

The maid, an immigrant from Guinea, has insisted she was truthful about the encounter and is pursuing claims against Strauss-Kahn in a civil lawsuit.