Ghislaine Maxwell’s latest request for bail denied by US federal judge

The British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell’s latest request for bail in her Manhattan federal court sex crimes case has been denied, new court filings revealed Monday.

In denying Maxwell’s request again, Manhattan federal court judge Alison J Nathan pointed to her previous ruling on the issue, which determined that she was a flight risk. Maxwell has been detained since her 2 July arrest and has been unsuccessful in previous efforts to secure her release pending trial.

Maxwell’s lawyers had recently asked Nathan to release her on a $28.5m bail package, with home confinement enforced by electronic monitoring. They claimed that Maxwell had close ties to the US, including a husband.

“On July 14, 2020, this court conducted an extensive bail hearing and determined that pre-trial detention was warranted because the no conditions or set of conditions could reasonably assure the Defendant’s appearance at future proceedings,” Nathan wrote.

While the issue of bail can be reconsidered if a judge determines that there’s new information that could change things, Nathan said, “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,” Nathan also said.

Nathan’s full written opinion denying Maxwell bail is temporarily under seal.

Maxwell’s lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Prosecutors allege that Maxwell was involved in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking of minor girls. Maxwell was a close friend of Epstein, a disgraced financier who lived the high life while hobnobbing with the world’s rich and powerful.

Maxwell denies the charges. Her trial is scheduled to begin in July 2021, and she faces up to 35 years in prison if convicted.

Epstein killed himself in his Manhattan federal jail cell on 10 August last year, several weeks after his arrest on charges of sex trafficking girls as young as 14. Following Epstein’s death, scrutiny on Maxwell intensified.

Federal agents arrested Maxwell at a sprawling New Hampshire estate in July. Prosecutors accused Maxwell of “slithering” away into hiding following Epstein’s death. Her lawyers have contended she was trying to avoid the press.