Judge denies bail for Ghislaine Maxwell after she pleads not guilty in Jeffrey Epstein sex crimes case

A federal judge on Tuesday denied bail for Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite accused of facilitating the sexual abuse of young girls by her former boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein, the now-dead investor.

Maxwell, who will remain in jail pending trial, pleaded not guilty at the bail hearing in Manhattan federal court, where her lawyer had sought her release on a $5 million release bond.

“Ms. Maxwell poses a risk of flight,” said Judge Alison Nathan, noting Maxwell’s wealth, citizenship in Britain and France, and lack of strong family or business ties in the United States as she denied that bail request. 

Nathan also noted the “seriousness” of Maxwell’s alleged crimes as a reason she would have to flee and said no bail condition, or combination of conditions, would ensure she would willingly appear in court on the charges.

The bail denial came nearly a year to the day after Epstein was himself denied bail on child sex trafficking charges after his lawyers offered to post a whopping $100 million bond.

A federal prosecutor who argued against Maxwell’s bail request told Nathan that Maxwell posed as “Jen Marshall,” a “journalist” who was seeking privacy last November when was looked to purchase the New Hampshire house where she was found in her pyjamas and arrested by FBI agents on the morning of July 2.

Maxwell, according to a real estate agent involved in the purchase, posed as the wife of a man who identified himself as “Scott Marshall,” a purported retired member of the British military who was writing a book, the prosecutor Alison Moe said.

The $1 million house, which sits on more than 150 acres of land, later was bought by a legal entity set up for that purpose, and to hide the actual identity of the people who purchased the residence.

The real estate agent realized that Maxwell was the British-accented “journalist” who used another name after she saw news stories about Maxwell’s arrest.

Moe said Maxwell’s deception with the real estate agent, and other factors, warrant denying her bail, as does wealth that includes up to $10 million in assets, at least $4 million of which is in a Swiss bank account.

Maxwell, appearing remotely via video teleconference from a Brooklyn federal jail, spoke in a clear, firm voice as she denied the charges laid out in a six-count indictment against her.

“Not guilty,” Maxwell told Nathan early in the hearing, which lasted slightly more than two hours.

Nathan scheduled Maxwell’s trial to begin on July 12, 2021.

Moe said she expected the trial would take three weeks.

Annie Farmer, one of three women whose claims are the basis for the criminal case against Maxwell, told the judge that she should deny the bail request, saying that “the danger Maxwell posed must be taken seriously.”

“She was a serial predator when she met and groomed me and countless other women,” Farmer said, after telling the judge she first met Maxwell when she was 16 years old.

Farmer, who requested to be identified by her real name during the court hearing, said, “Those that survived implore this court that she be detained pending trial.”

Another accuser, identified as Jane Doe, said in a statement read to the judge by Moe, said, “Without Ghislaine, Jeffrey could not have done what he did.”

Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/14/jeffrey-epstein-case-ghislaine-maxwell-sex-crimes-bail-ruling.html