Media swarm ex-IMF chief's new digs

Former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn Saturday spent his first full day away from jail holed up in a lower Manhattan high-rise as hordes of media and onlookers crowded the sidewalk.

Strauss-Kahn, 62, was released on $1 million cash bail Friday amid charges he sexually assaulted a hotel maid. He is under house arrest in the Empire Building at 71 Broadway. A private security firm, Stroz Friedberg, is monitoring him around the clock, according to the AP.

Residents of the former French presidential hopeful's temporary home said they were overwhelmed. "I stepped out and there were cameras in my face. I thought at first they were shooting a movie or something," said Teresa, a 15th-floor tenant who would not give her last name. "If it weren't for the media, I wouldn't know he was here."

Tenants said an email from building management sent in the afternoon gave the news about Strauss-Kahn. Managers said a resident did not consult them before inviting Strauss-Kahn to stay and said he would be leaving early next week. Building manager Ray Ratermann did not return a call for comment.

The building boasts 9-foot ceilings, a gym and floor-to-ceiling windows. Two-bedroom apartments rent for around $4,200 per month. It's an improvement over the cell where Strauss-Kahn spent nearly a week after authorities pulled him from an Air France flight May 14. But they are a step down from the Upper East Side home his wife tried to secure for him. The media crush led residents to dissuade building management from accepting Strauss-Kahn as a tenant.

"I heard the other building wouldn't let him stay, so how did we get stuck with him?" asked Philippe, an Empire Building resident who would not give his last name. Lynn Hearn, 28, of Ontario, Canada, said, "It's always something in New York. Nothing like this ever happens in Canada."

Strauss-Kahn is expected to be moved to a permanent location in the city to await trial. It is not yet known when and where Strauss-Kahn will be moved to await trial. His lawyer and Stroz Friedberg could not be reached for comment yesterdaySaturday.