New York, Aug 24 (ANI): The New York hotel maid, who claimed that former International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn sexually attacked her, could now face perjury charges, legal experts have warned.
The 32-year-old Nafissatou Diallo is likely to face intense scrutiny as Strauss Kahn was recently released from custody after prosecutors filed court papers saying the case had to be dismissed because they could not ask a jury to believe the hotel maid's story when they do not find her to be a credible witness.
"Diallo, by holding press conferences, is baiting the prosecution, who have hard evidence she engaged in serious acts of perjury," the New York Post quoted, defense attorney Bruce Barket, as saying.
Among her more serious alleged violation of laws, Diallo told a grand jury she ran out of the Sofitel hotel room in shock after Strauss-Kahn supposedly attacked her, but she actually went on to clean another room.
She even lied to federal authorities while seeking asylum about being gang-raped by soldiers in her native Guinea.
Diallo also claimed a fictitious daughter as a dependent on her tax returns.
"There has been a precedent for prosecutors in these kinds of incidents. My guess, they will prosecute her," said Barket, who is not involved in the case.
The paper quoted defense attorney Thomas Kenniff, as saying that offering a false instrument in the second degree is an a misdemeanor.
If she was charged and convicted of that, she could spend more time in Rikers than Strauss Kahn did, he added.
Federal authorities who could seek charges include the IRS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
A state felony perjury conviction carries a sentence of nearly eight to 25 years. (ANI)
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