Maxwell bail bid rejected
Ghislaine in jail until trial as she’s deemed a flight risk
GHISLAINE Maxwell was denied bail for a second time last night after a judge ruled she remained a flight risk.
Judge Alison Nathan said nothing submitted to the federal court in New York by Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged madam changed her original decision.
Judge Nathan was unmoved by the €28.5million bail package offered to the court by Ms Maxwell and her husband Scott Borgerson.
She ruled that ‘no conditions of release can reasonably assure the defendant’s appearance at future proceedings’, and highlighted Max
‘Judge has given in to the lynch mob’
well’s ‘history and characteristics’ as a factor in her decision.
The ruling means Ms Maxwell will remain in the grim Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn until at least July when her trial is due to take place.
Ms Maxwell, 58, has been held there since July when she was arrested for allegedly procuring girls as young as 14 for Epstein to abuse. She is also accused of perjury in a civil case and has pleaded not guilty, vehemently denying the allegations in court filings. She faces up to 35 years in jail if convicted of the alleged crimes dating back to between 1994 and 1997.
Ms Maxwell first filed a bail application in July where she listed her €4million home in the UK as her sole asset, but for her second attempt she included all €18.4million in assets she claims to share with Mr Borgerson. She also offered to go under house arrest, wear an electronic monitoring device and hand over her three passports.
Brian Basham, a British PR executive who has campaigned for her release on bail, said her lawyers would appeal, adding: ‘ It’s grotesque and against the laws of natural justice.’ He added: ‘The judge has given in to the lynch mob.’
Ms Maxwell’s lawyers did not reply to a request for comment. The news came as it emerged Epstein thought the US government was ‘trying to kill him’ during his final days in jail. Former inmates claimed guards refused him help for medical issues because ‘he was a pervert’ and he was made sleep on the floor.