Guinea Ambassador Charged in Sexual Battery of Hotel Maid

Guinea’s ambassador to the United States was charged Thursday with sexual battery and false imprisonment for allegedly attacking a maid last month at the Biltmore.

Moussa Sangare was visiting Los Angeles with a delegation of other West African ambassadors when he allegedly sexually accosted a maid while she turned down his bed for the night, prosecutors said.

Sangare has full diplomatic immunity, but U.S. government officials advised prosecutors that, because of the nature of the alleged crime, charges be filed if warranted.

He faces a maximum of 18 months in jail and a $3,000 fine if convicted on two misdemeanor counts.

“The story is without foundation,” said Sangare, a veteran of his country’s diplomatic corps, when reached at his Washington home Thursday night. “The woman imagined the whole thing.”

The maid told police the day after the alleged attack that she was “scared” and didn’t want to lose her job, but that Sangare’s actions “were not right,” reports show.

The incident occurred on Sept. 4, the same day that Sangare and other ambassadors had breakfast at the Biltmore with Mayor Tom Bradley. A top aide to Bradley, William Elkins, who escorted the African delegation during their weeklong visit, had several conversations with detectives investigating the case and a police commander, in addition to meeting in his office with Lt. Bob Kurth, police sources told The Times.

“Mr. Elkins informed us that the suspected ambassador was in fact an ambassador and that he did have a total diplomatic immunity,” Detective L.A. Loya wrote in his report. “He also informed me that he would notify the proper authorities in the Department of State of the investigation.”

Elkins was not available for comment, and Bradley was in Leningrad and could not be reached. Bradley spokesman Bill Chandler said he did not know the nature of the discussions between Elkins and police officials.

“The mayor would insist that such a case be handled by the book by the appropriate authorities,” Chandler said. “The mayor would not condone the efforts of anyone to interfere with the work of the authorities.”

The mayor’s office came under fire in May when a concessionaire and airport police decided not to pursue a felony theft complaint against a Japanese dignitary after conferring with a top Bradley aide. The case was revived by prosecutors and eventually dismissed by a judge. The dignitary resigned his Nagoya post.

Police Cmdr. William Booth confirmed Thursday that Elkins had several conversations with detectives and Capt. Jerry Conner about the Guinea ambassador, but was unaware of the meeting with Kurth. In any case, Booth said, Elkins had no influence over the police investigation.

“There is no request, counsel, direction, suggestion, hint or implication or anything from the mayor’s office on what this department should be doing with that case,” he said.

The Police Department eventually recommended against prosecution because the ambassador had immunity and the maid suddenly was reluctant to press charges, said Deputy City Atty. Dennis Jensen. In an unusual development, according to law enforcement officials, the investigation was then taken over by the city attorney’s office.

The evidence that resulted in Thursday’s charges linking Sangare to the alleged attack was gathered by the city attorney’s office, records show.

The Spanish-speaking maid knocked on Sangare’s room at about 9 p.m. and asked if he wanted his bedsheets turned, according to police reports. When she approached the bed, Sangare grabbed her from behind, the maid said.

“He placed both of his arms around me, and with each hand he grabbed my breasts,” the maid told police. “As soon as I pushed him away he approached me from the back and put his arms around me again. He grabbed my chest again and began to kiss me on the neck.”

The maid then ran out of the room and reported the incident to hotel security. Police did not learn of the incident until about 90 minutes later, records show.

The next day, the maid informed detectives that she did not wish to prosecute. “I (am) just scared. I don’t want to lose my job,” she told police. “Because of the way I’ve been treated I feel I’m going to get fired. Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything, but it’s not right.”

Officials at the Biltmore declined comment.

The victim later picked Sangare out of a lineup of photos arranged by the city attorney’s office, records show. She also has indicated to prosecutors that she is now willing to testify against Sangare, Jensen said.

Sangare enjoys full diplomatic immunity under the Vienna convention, the treaty which governs treatment of diplomats, said a State Department official.

Now that charges have been filed, the Republic of Guinea “can waive immunity and we can continue with prosecution,” Jensen said. “If the country does not waive immunity, then the State Department figures out what to do with it.”

In the event of a serious crime such as a homicide, the State Department would insist that a diplomat “leave the U.S. immediately,” said Richard Gooker, associate chief of protocol. Asked how the department would handle the Sangare case, Gooker said, “I cannot tell you at this point what actions the department would take.”

Times staff writer Don Shannon in Washington contributed to this story.