Ghislaine Maxwell will hear alleged victims’ stories before she can request release on bail
Nearly a year after Jeffrey Epstein had his bail request rejected, the disgraced billionaire paedophile’s ex-girlfriend and alleged madame will appear in court to make that same plea following her controversial arrest earlier this month.
Before Ghislaine Maxwell can demand her release from prison while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, however, the British-socialite-turned-recluse will hear statements from alleged victims of Epstein calling for her to remain in custody.
US federal prosecutors described Maxwell as posing an “extreme” flight risk while citing her numerous passports, massive wealth and known ability to live in hiding — as she has been ever since Epstein was arrested last year.
But attorneys for Maxwell have meanwhile argued the coronavirus pandemic could pose a “serious risk” to her health while in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn, New York.
The court will hear arguments on Tuesday via video streaming. Maxwell’s lawyers are asking she be released as part of a bail agreement that would require her to surrender her US, UK and French passports and remain under GPS surveillance within a New York property.
Maxwell was charged in a six-count indictment with recruiting, grooming and in some cases even participating in sexual abuse with young women she procured for Epstein as part of an international trafficking ring. If convicted, she faces up to 35 years in prison.
She has also been charged with lying under oath to investigators during a deposition in 2016. Maxwell has denied any wrongdoing and previously said she was unaware of Epstein’s alleged crimes.
Prosecutors said Maxwell attempted to avoid the FBI as they came to arrest her on 2 July at a 156-acre property in New Hampshire where she had been hiding out. They said a cellphone wrapped in tinfoil was also discovered at the scene — an apparently misguided attempt to avoid detection.
Epstein, who was denied a release on bail, killed himself in federal custody at the Metropolitan Correctional Centre in Manhattan.
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