Ghislaine Maxwell’s Bail Request Denied

British socialite and alleged Jeffrey Epstein co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell‘s latest request for bail has been denied by Manhattan Federal Court Judge Alison J. Nathan. Maxwell’s lawyers recently asked the judge to release her on a $22.5 million bail package with house arrest and electronic monitoring. They also claim that Maxwell has close ties to the US. Maxwell has been within federal custody for a sex crimes case since her arrest in July last year.

The AP reports her lawyers also stated that Maxwell was being mistreated by guards at the jail, saying that they wake her every fifteen minutes at night and she is subjected to random and repeated unnecessary searches. Her team additionally claims the guards fail to protect her from coronavirus exposure in the jail.

Nathan cites a previous ruling on the issue, claiming that Maxwell is a flight risk. “On July 14, 2020, this court conducted an extensive bail hearing and determined that pre-trial detention was warranted because no conditions or set of conditions could reasonably assure the Defendant’s appearance at future proceedings,” Nathan wrote.

Nathan continued, “The court concludes that none of the new information that the defendant presented in support of her application has a material bearing on the court’s determination that she poses a flight risk. Furthermore, for substantially the same reasons as the court determined that detention was warranted in the initial bail hearing, the court again concludes that no conditions of release can reasonably assure the defendant’s appearance at future proceedings.”

The judge’s complete written decision refusing Maxwell’s bail is temporarily under seal. Federal agents arrested Maxwell at a large New Hampshire estate and though prosecutors allege the disgraced socialite was attempting to hide out from the law, her lawyers claim she was trying to steer clear of the press.

Maxwell is charged with recruiting three teenagers as young as age 14 for Epstein to sexually abuse between 1994-1997. She’s also accused of occasionally participating in the abuse. If found guilty, she faces up to 35 years in prison. Epstein killed himself in his Manhattan federal jail cell several weeks after his arrest on sex crimes charges in August of 2019. Following his death, speculation grew as to how the wealthy mogul died while in custody. Maxwell’s trial is scheduled to begin in July.