but his lawyer, benjamin brafman, organized otherwise, forcefully. >> this theory he ran is simply not true. i've also indicate head went to the airport on a flight that was booked long before this incident for a meeting in germany. we have the itinerary. >> reporter: in the end, the judge denied bail. at least for a few days. police investigators have gathered forensic evidence from strauss-kahn, fingernail scrappings and the like, to try to prove a crime of violence took place. but his lawyer says it's all a mistake. >> we'll prove in our judgment that mr. strauss-kahn is innocent of these charges. we think this case is very defensible. and his principal attention is to try and clear his name and re-establish his good name. >> reporter: but tonight, dominique strauss-kahn sits in an 11 x 13 foot jail cell in rikers island. a long way from a $3,000 hotel suite. >> it is now a legal drama. just under way. our thanks to terry moran. >>> coming up, have you ever been on a plane, opened the sky mall catalog and wondered, where do they find this stuff? we go looking and share their lucrati

legal analyst jeffrey toobin told cnn benjamin brafman is in a league of his own. >> he's the single best lawyer i've ever seen in a courtroom. >> really? >> absolutely. he has done -- >> what's so good about him? >> well, you know, he has -- there are a lot of flashy lawyers who are good at cross-examination but they don't prepare. he prepares like a boring sort of old school lawyer but he's got the flash and dash of sort of a courtroom performer. he is the best of both worlds. >> benjamin brafman has made a career out of representing high-profile clients. let's take a look at some of the well-known cases he's represented. he's advised mobsters such as sammie the bull gravano. he turned on gotti and turned on his lawyer. brafman represented sean p. diddy colmes as well. he also represented michael jackson in his trial for molestation. jackson was acquitted. rapper jay-z has been a client. he was charged with assaulting a record producer. he pled guilty to a misdemeanor and was given probation. zain? >>> dominique strauss-kahn's political ambitions are now in doubt. he was expected t

benjamin brafman is very well-known in new york. you know him. >> absolutely. if you were to ask people in the know in new york city, who's the best trial lawyer in new york city, i think ben brafman would get more votes than anyone else. now, it is still true that he is not undefeated. he is not more important in a case than the evidence is. but certainly he's going to have the best defense that strauss-kahn could have found anywhere. >> i think it's fair to say those new york prosecutors are pretty good as well. >> very good. and this case will get a lot of attention. this is the first really big case that is cyrus vance junior has had as the new relatively new manhattan district attorney. he knows that his reputation is going to rise and fall at least initially based on this case. so those prosecutors are going to have all the resources they need. >> he's the son of the former secretary of state, cyrus vance. here's a question, it goes to trial. let's say it goes to trial six months from now, a year from now, whenever it goes to trial in new york city. can h

diddy combs and other clients by benjamin brafman, and william tailor who was part of the dream team,going to be representing dominic strauss-kahn. and a firm run by former cia officers describes itself as a strategic advisory company, and strauss-kahn has used the services before when he was campaigning to become the imf chief. guidepost solutions is a prominent investigative firm, and we have judy smith who is a public relations consultant joining us from los angeles to talk about this. judy, you are not involved in advising dominic strauss-kahn, but if you were, what would be the most important piece of advice to him right now? >> well, i think that he's doing it. the most important piece of advice would really be to assemble this type of team that he has. he has a great attorney that is working for him. he's going to need a good group that would probably include a forensic expert based on the information that was released. he is also going to need someone that is very good, obviously, in crisis communication. someone that also knows the landscape i think that is important in franc

>> his attorneys and he's laurds up, hired benjamin brafman -- >> he's a well known, very good attorneyaxico burress and p. diddy, what is going to happen here the prosecution thinks this victim is credible. he would not have been yanked, put it frankly, off of an airplane by the port authority police officers had they not found this victim credible. she's pointed him out in a lineup. i think it's going to be business as usual. i called the d.a.'s office and they said they're not going to make comment because the arraignment is pending. he will probably be arraigned this morning even though there's a bit of fancy laurg going on because of this forensic examination. he's saying i didn't do this and submitted to this forensic examination. >> do you think he's a flight risk? >> no question he's a flight risk. he got yanked off this airplane. possibly his passport, if it hasn't been yanked it's going to be yanked and he has to post a very, very high bail. >> is there -- put yourself on the other side, a logical defense he can offer. >> it's he said, she said. there was a sexual encounter bu