Maxwell: Hey, can I get out if I quit U.K., France?
Ghislaine Maxwell requested bail for a third time Tuesday, offering to renounce her British and French citizenship in exchange for release from jail while awaiting trial.
The proposal should address concerns the accused Jeffrey Epstein madam would flee justice and seek refuge abroad, Maxwell’s defense team wrote in a letter to Manhattan Federal
Court Judge Alison Nathan.
Maxwell (photo) also suggested putting her and her husband’s assets in an account that would be monitored by a retired federal judge.
“Ms. Maxwell has already been denied a fair chance in the court of public opinion. She has been maligned by the media, which has perpetuated a false narrative about her that has poisoned any open-mindedness and impartiality of a potential jury. She has been relentlessly attacked with vicious slurs, persistent lies, and blatant inaccuracies by spokespeople who have neither met nor spoken to her,” Maxwell attorney Bobbi Sternheim wrote.
“She has been depicted as a cartoon-character villain in an attempt to turn her into a substitute replacement for Jeffrey Epstein. Yet, Ms. Maxwell is determined — and welcomes the opportunity — to face her accusers at trial and clear her name. The additional proposed bail conditions should quell any concerns that she would try to flee.”
Maxwell, 59, is accused of grooming Epstein’s underage victims in the mid-1990s. At times, prosecutors say, she joined in the sexual abuse. Epstein accusers have said she acted as the sex offender’s chief recruiter and even lent one victim to Prince Andrew for sex.
Maxwell has pleaded not guilty.
“Citizenship is a precious and priceless asset. Ms. Maxwell’s decision to give up citizenship from the county of her birth and the country of her upbringing demonstrates her earnestness to abide by the conditions of her release and underscores that she has no intention to flee and reflects her deep need to communicate freely with counsel to prepare for her defense,” Sternheim wrote.
Judge Nathan has previously ruled Maxwell is a flight risk. Last week, Maxwell alleged she was “physically abused” by staff at the Metropolitan Detention Center.