Ghislaine Maxwell a ‘patsy’ for Jeffrey Epstein, brother claims

Two bail attempts by Ghislaine Maxwell have been unsuccessful, and a third is under consideration by a judge

Credit: Sylvain Gaboury/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

Ghislaine Maxwell has been made a "patsy" for Jeffrey Epstein, her brother has claimed in a direct appeal to the American public.

Speaking on Good Morning America, Ian Maxwell said his sister was targeted because the US authorities "lost Epstein on their watch" and needed to "do something about it".

The move marked a step up in Operation Get Ghislaine Out, a campaign by her family to get her released on bail ahead of a trial in July. Two bail attempts by Ms Maxwell have been unsuccessful, and a third is under consideration by a judge.

Mr Maxwell, 64, said: "Why is Ghislaine Maxwell being treated differently? She’s a patsy for Epstein is the answer, who they lost on their watch, and they’re taking it out on my sister. Damn it, that’s wrong.

"Suddenly, he [Epstein] dies and they’ve got this really serious problem. They’ve got victims of abuse, deprived of their prime target and opportunity to question him. It seems to me inescapable that the authorities decided they had to do something about it."

Ms Maxwell has pleaded not guilty to helping Epstein recruit and groom underage girls for sex in the mid-1990s, and to perjury. She was arrested in an FBI raid in New Hampshire last summer and is being held in jail in New York.

In her third bail application, she has offered to renounce her British and French citizenships in an attempt to convince the judge she is not a flight risk. Prosecutors have objected, calling her an "extreme flight risk".

Mr Maxwell told Good Morning America his sister was a victim of "torture" in jail, saying: "It’s a really ghastly experience. She’s lost 20 lbs, she’s losing her hair, she can’t concentrate. She has a flashlight shone in her cell every 15 minutes during the night, so she has no sleep of any real quality.

"I’m not minimising the seriousness of the allegations, but my sister’s fighting for her life – and that’s pretty serious too.

"Ghislaine wants to confront the accusers head-on and deal with this and get on with her life. She is as convinced as she can be that she will be exonerated. We as a family are behind her, solidly behind her."