France drops gang rape allegations against Dominique Strauss-Kahn

Gang rape charges have been dropped against discredited former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the Telegraph reported today — although he is still under investigation for accusations of "aggravated pimping" in what's being dubbed the Carlton Affair.

The two prostitutes who levied the initial accusation said Strauss-Kahn was involved in a "gang rape" party at the W Hotel in Washington DC in 2010, during the time period when he was tapped to become the next French president, says MSNBC.

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The New York Times states that one woman accused Strauss-Kahn of "of holding her down and pulling her hair as he assaulted her," although the woman did not file a complaint while in the US, and the FBI does not have records of the incident.

The Belgian woman and another woman gave this evidence as part of a larger investigation a prostitution ring in Normandy which Strauss-Kahn was allegedly involved in, MSNBC added.

The Telegraph reports the woman has now stated the sex was indeed consensual, and she was paid to fly to the US from Europe for the "event."

A court is still set to rule on Nov. 28 on a request that the other charges facing Strauss-Kahn, which include aggravated pimping, be dropped, says MSNBC.

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Strauss-Kahn has admitted to attending orgies, says the Telegraph, but claims he was unaware the women involved were being paid.

Strauss-Kahn's fall from grace began in May 2011, when he was accused of raping a maid in New York City. The criminal case didn't hold up in court after suspicion over the alleged victim's veracity came to light, says CNN.