Judge Denies ‘Flight Risk’ Ghislaine Maxwell’s Second Attempt to Get Out of Jail Ahead of Jeffrey Epstein-Related Trial

A federal judge denied Ghislaine Maxwell’s second bail application on Monday, finding that Jeffrey Epstein’s accused accomplice could not be trusted to stay in the United States if allowed to await trial at home before the new year. “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,” U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan wrote in a two-page ruling. In July, Judge Nathan feared that Maxwell would try to flee if allowed to await trial outside of jail. “The risks are simply too great,” Nathan found, following a hearing where Maxwell pleaded not guilty to six charges accusing her of grooming and abusing Epstein’s victims and lying about it under oath. For the judge, little has changed to alter her opinion. “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,” Judge Nathan added. “In reaching that conclusion, the Court considers the nature and circumstances of the offenses charged, the weight of the evidence against the Defendant, the history and characteristics of the Defendant, and the nature and seriousness of the danger that the Defendant’s release would pose.”” Prosecutors from the Southern District of New York’s public corruption unit depicted Maxwell as a living a life in the shadows, traveling frequently with three passports, and owning more than a dozen bank accounts, assuming the alter ego “GMax.” After a coronavirus scare inside Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Correctional Center—where she has been awaiting trial—Maxwell renewed her application. She disclosed more details about her finances and claimed that the secret marriage that she entered into proved her ties to the United States, which she argued would keep her from returning to France or the United Kingdom. Maxwell holds citizenship in both countries, which do not extradite people to the United States often. Splashing cold water over Maxwell’s tales of marital bliss, prosecutors revealed that she told authorities that she and her husband were “in the process of getting divorced.” “On this point, it bears noting that the defendant’s motion asks that she be permitted to live with [redacted] if granted bail, not her spouse,” the government’s brief stated , shielding the name of the other person. “Moreover, the fact that the defendant’s spouse has only now come forward to support the defendant should be afforded little weight given that he refused to come forward at the time of her arrest. While a friend’s desire to avoid publicity may be understandable, a spouse’s desire to distance himself in that manner—particularly when coupled with the defendant’s inconsistent statements about the state of their relationship—undermine her assertion that her marriage is a tie that would keep her in the United States.” Maxwell’s attorney Mark Cohen insisted that was because Maxwell had been trying to protect her spouse. “Prior to her arrest, Ms. Maxwell and her spouse had discussed the idea of getting a divorce as an additional way to create distance between Ms. Maxwell and her spouse to protect him [REDACTED] from the terrible consequences of being associated with her,” Cohen wrote. Read the ruling below: This is a developing story… [image via Mark Mainz/Getty Images]
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