Ex-IMF Head Dominique Strauss-Kahn Released From Rikers Island Jail
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn was released from Rikers Island Friday, trading his prison cell for house arrest.
The Department of Correction said as of 5:15 p.m., Strauss-Kahn was no longer on Rikers Island.
Strauss-Khan was to stay at an apartment at 71 Broadway in Lower Manhattan. CBS 2's Derricke Dennis got a closer look at Strauss-Kahn's new downtown digs Friday evening.
The media's cameras trained in on the building, which will be the temporary home of the French politician accused of rape. Residents of the building said they were mortified at having such a notorious new neighbor.
"Well why is he here? Why in this building?" asked one tenant.
"I think it's going be a lot of press, a lot of different negativity to the building," said another.
Strauss-Kahn may not like it much either. The accommodations are nowhere near the standard he's used to. Instead, he will be have a small, but renovated kitchen, minimalist living room decor and a common gym crowded with equipment.
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The former IMF chief's original plan hit a road block Friday.
Strauss-Khan's wife, heiress Anne Sinclair, rented a luxurious apartment in Manhattan at Bristol Plaza, and was to pay the $200,000 a month it would cost to secure her husband inside who would be under house arrest while awaiting trial.
Friday afternoon, 1010 WINS confirmed that the Plaza turned away Sinclair once it was discovered Strauss-Kahn would be staying there.
According to William Taylor, Strauss-Kahn's Defense Attorney, the manager of Bristol Plaza backed out when the media showed up for a stakeout.
"The reason that he had to move is because members of the press attempted to invade his private residence," he told reporters, including CBS 2's Tony Aiello.
Before the rental agreement was pulled, prison vans and a police escort arrived at the Upper East Side apartment from Rikers Island. Dozens of news crews set up metal barricades outside the high-rise on East 65th Street.
The Plaza bills itself as a luxurious short-term rental building with elegantly furnished apartments, complete with marble baths, flat screen TVs, and maid service.
Oksana Fitzsimmons works in the building as a housekeeper and said she had no problem with Strauss-Kahn staying there.
"I am not afraid. Why am I afraid? He's crazy? He's not crazy. He's a normal person. I don't believe this," she said.
In court Thursday, Strauss-Kahn blew a kiss to his wife and daughter moments after a judge granted him bail. The disgraced banker spent the last six nights in a prison cell at Rikers.
Under the terms, the fallen banker paid $1 million dollars bail, another $5 million for a secured bond, and he'll be confined to home detention with video cameras and ankle bracelet and armed guards ready to restrain him if he tries to leave.
There will also be strong security restrictions regarding when Strauss-Kahn can leave and who can visit him. His ankle bracelet will be also be equipped with a GPS tracking chip. He must also give six hours notice before leaving the residence and can only travel to see a doctor, his lawyers or attend religious observances.
The judge acknowledged the risk but granted the conditional release, reminding the court that "he is not convicted of anything, he is presumed to be innocent, he is entitled to a fair trial of all of this."
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