Dominique Strauss-Kahn's Accuser Speaks Out
The hotel maid who accused former IMF chief of sexual assault breaks silence.
July 25, 2011— -- The hotel maid who has accused former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexually assaulting her in a New York City hotel room has ended her public silence in an exclusive broadcast interview with ABC News.
"I want justice. I want him to go to jail," Nafissatou Diallo told ABC's Robin Roberts. "I want him to know that there is some places you cannot use your money, you cannot use your power when you do something like this."
Strauss-Kahn may not go to jail. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. is considering whether to drop the charges amid "concerns" he has said he had about Diallo's credibility.
Diallo was asked about the instances that caused prosecutors to "reassess the strength of the case." Diallo acknowledged "mistakes" but also said they should not preclude Vance's office from going forward.
Watch the full interview with DSK accuser Nafissatou Diallo
"God is my witness. I'm telling the truth. From my heart. God Knows that. And he knows that," she said.
The woman whose accusations upended the politics of France and the workings of one of the world's most prominent banking institutions was unequivocal in her assertion that Strauss-Kahn attacked her inside Room 2806 at the Sofitel Hotel in New York City.
"I never want to be in public, but I have no choice," Diallo told ABC News, adding, "Now, I have to be in public. I have to, for myself. I have to tell the truth."
Diallo re-enacted moments of the alleged assault, at one point kneeling on the floor to describe how she said Strauss-Kahn tried to force her to commit a sex act.
"I turned my head. He comes to me and grab my breasts," she said. "I said, 'Stop! Stop! I don't want to lose my job.'"
Watch the full interview with Diallo's attorney Ken Thompson
Diallo said she did not know who Strauss-Kahn was before the May 14 encounter. Once she learned his identity, she said she thought she would be killed.
"And then they say he's going to be the next president of France. And I say, oh my God! And I was crying. I said, 'They're gonna kill me.'"
Until now, Diallo's identity had been protected. She said she is coming forward now to defend her story and her reputation, which has been besmirched by tabloid headlines that called her a prostitute.
"I'm not," Diallo said.
Defense attorneys for Strauss-Kahn categorically deny that any criminal wrongdoing occurred. They have suggested what happened inside the hotel suite was consensual and have called Diallo's interview an "unseemly circus.
"Its obvious purpose is to inflame public opinion against a defendant in a pending criminal case," William Taylor and Benjamin Brafman wrote in a statement.
The Manhattan District Attorney's office declined to comment on the interview.
"This is a pending criminal case," DA spokeswoman Erin Duggan said. "To protect the integrity of the criminal justice system, the rights of the victim, and the rights of the accused, we will not discuss the facts or evidence in what remains an ongoing investigation."
The interview took place in the Manhattan office of Diallo's attorney, Kenneth Thompson. He told ABC News he planned to file a civil lawsuit against Strauss-Kahn on his client's behalf within days.
"There's no mystery. There's no hiding the fact. This man attempted to rape her," Thompson said.