Bail set for latest accused maid molestor

Egyptian executive Mahmoud Abdel Salam Omar, accused of molesting a maid at the posh Pierre Hotel on Sunday, remained in custody at Rikers Island on Wednesday after a judge set his bail at $25,000 cash or $50,000 bond.

Prosecutors told New York City Criminal Court Judge Gerald Lebovits at Omars arraignment around midnight on Tuesday that the former banker was a flight risk. Lebovits ordered Omar to surrender his passport and travel documents.

Omar's lawyer, Elizabeth Beal, said the 72-year-old businessman denied the charges of sexual abuse and forcible touching and wants to fight this case, according to the New York Post. He plans to retain private counsel, said his Legal Aid attorney. He was being held in a wing isolated from the jails main population.

Both The Pierre and the Sofitel hotel, the site of a similar incident two weeks ago involving the ex International Monetary Fund leader Dominique Strauss Kahn, said they plan to arm their housekeeping staff with panic buttons, according to published reports.