police say strauss - kahn does not have diplomatic immunity from the charges , which if proven could carry a prison sentence of 15 - 20 years .
he has been a visiting professor at stanford university .
the sexual assault charges throw the imf into a leadership crisis just as it is trying to help ease an escalating euro zone debt crisis , and they turn france 's presidential election campaign upside down when polls had made strauss - kahn a clear front runner .
strauss - kahn was an economics professor , corporate lawyer and legislator in france 's national assembly .
new york paris ( reuters ) - imf chief dominique strauss - kahn was charged on sunday with trying to rape a new york hotel maid in a scandal that appeared to wreck his hopes of becoming france 's next president .
born in neuilly - sur - seine , france prepare to abandon the franc for the euro .
quote : " while this incident constituted an error in judgment on my part , for which i take full responsibility , i firmly believe that i have not abused my position , " strauss - kahn wrote in an email to imf staff after an affair with a subordinate became public in 2008 .
strauss - kahn was expected to go before a state court later on sunday .
a maid , 32 , said he emerged naked from the bathroom and sexually assaulted her inside his $ 3,000 - a - night suite at the sofitel hotel in new york 's times square on saturday afternoon .