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Ghislaine Maxwell Denied Bail, Trial Date Set For July 2021
By
David Cruz
Published Jul 14, 2020
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By
David Cruz
Published Jul 14, 2020
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Ghislaine Maxwell, the ex-girlfriend and confidant of the late sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein, was denied bail at a hearing on Tuesday afternoon, after a Manhattan federal judge agreed with prosecutors that she poses a significant flight risk. Maxwell, who has allegedly been in hiding for a year, also entered a not guilty plea to four counts of sex trafficking and two counts of perjury.
Speaking at a video conference because of the pandemic, Judge Alison Nathan said Maxwell is motivated to flee and has the means to do so. She was convinced by federal prosecutors' arguments that Maxwell would pose a flight risk given her dual citizenship to France, which does not extradite its citizens to the U.S., and her supposedly vast yet unaccounted wealth to live "beyond the means of extradition," and her "unwillingness to allow FBI agents to enter her home on the day she was arrested."
"The risks are simply too great," said Nathan. "The court finds that the government has met its burden of showing by a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant is a risk of flight, and that no combination of conditions could reasonably assure the presence of the defendant at court."
Before Nathan made her decision, federal prosecutor Alison Moe read a prepared statement from one of Epstein's alleged victims identified as "Jane Doe" to the court.
"I have great every fear that she may seek to silence those whose testimony is instrumental in her prosecution. In fact, when I was listed as a witness in a civil action involving Maxwell, I received a phone call in the middle of the night threatening my then two-year old's life if I testified," read the statement.
The court then heard from Annie Farmer--an alleged victim who met Epstein at age 16--who read a brief statement calling Maxwell a "sexual predator."
"She has never shown any remorse for her heinous crimes or the devastating lasting effects her actions caused. Instead, she has lied under oath and tormented her survivors. The danger Maxwell poses must be taken seriously. She has associates across the globe, some of great means. She also has demonstrated contempt for our legal system by committing perjury. All of which indeed indicate to me that she is a significant flight risk," said Farmer.
At the hearing, Maxwell--who is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn--briefly spoke, answering technical questions from the judge in a low voice before entering her plea.
Maxwell is alleged to have conspired with Epstein, the billionaire who trafficked women and underage girls in New York and Florida in the early 2000s. Maxwell is accused of recruiting and grooming Epstein's victims, serving as Epstein's "procurer."
Epstein died by suicide while in custody in August, a development that called into question the security of the Metropolitan Detention Center in Manhattan where he was being held awaiting trial.
For nearly a year, Maxwell eluded authorities who sought her whereabouts shortly after Epstein was arrested in July last year. After moving from location to location, Maxwell was found on July 2nd in a spacious New Hampshire home that was guarded by former members of the British military. Prosecutors said Maxwell had already shown a penchant for duplicitous behavior, pointing to the purchase of the New Hampshire home, where she used a fake name to buy it, a point her defense attorneys said was made to shield her from impending threats.
FBI agents were forced to bust through Maxwell's home after she ignored orders to open the front door, according to court papers prosecutors filed on Friday. Prosecutors wrote that Maxwell tried to "flee to another room in the house, quickly shutting a door behind her." Agents also found her phone had been wrapped in tin foil, allegedly part of "a misguided attempt to evade detection."
After being processed in New Hampshire, Maxwell was transferred to MDC to await arraignment. She was forced to sleep on the floor and wear "paper clothes" to ensure she not take her life, unlike Epstein who hung himself using prison bedsheets.
Maxwell's attorneys had filed papers ahead of the court proceeding asking for bail, arguing she is the victim of a smear campaign who is being scapegoated after Epstein's suicide. They also asserted that the coronavirus pandemic could pose health problems to Maxwell, who is 58 years old. Ahead of the arraignment, Mark S. Cohen, Maxwell's defense attorney, filed court papers recommending his client be freed on $5 million bail with electronic monitoring.
"Our client is not Jeffrey Epstein," said Cohen, arguing that Maxwell's friends opted not to vouch for her character after receiving threats if they had done so.
The judge also didn't buy that Maxwell's health status would make her vulnerable to getting infected with coronavirus if she remains in custody.
"In light of the substantial reasons that I've already identified favoring Ms. Maxwell's detention and her not making any arguments based on her age or health COVID-19 pandemic alone does not provide grounds for her release." said Nathan.
Maxwell's trial is scheduled to commence on July 12th, 2021.
Tagged
jeffrey epstein case
Metropolitan Detention Center
jeffrey epstein
ghislaine maxwell
David Cruz
David is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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