Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former IMF chief, is back in the news, and it yet again involves alleged sex crimes. The 64-year-old Strauss-Kahn has previously acknowledged attending “sex parties” with women at a hotel in his native France, but claims that he didn’t know at the time that those women were actually prostitutes. French authorities seem to believe otherwise: They announced today that the former French presidential contender will be tried on charges of “aggravated pimping,” a term that doesn’t mean exactly what it sounds like. NBC News has a quick explainer:
Pimping under French law is a broad crime that can encompass aiding or encouraging the act of prostitution. Strauss-Kahn was charged with the more serious form because it allegedly involved more than one prostitute. The crime carries a maximum term of 10 years in prison and a fine of 1.5 million euros ($2 million).
Strauss-Kahn, of course, famously resigned from his powerful IMF post in 2011, after a New York City hotel maid alleged that he raped her in his hotel room. The criminal charges were later dropped, but not before his reputation took a serious hit.
