Ghislaine Maxwell appears via video link during her hearing where her bail was denied for her role in helping Jeffrey Epstein recruit and ultimately abuse underage girls, in Manhattan Federal Court, in New York, July 14, 2020 in this courtroom sketch.
Jane Rosenberg | Reuters
A federal judge on Monday for the second time this year denied bail to Ghislaine Maxwell, the wealthy British socialite accused of caring for underage girls for sexual abuse by money manager Jeffrey Epstein.
Judge Alison Nathan discovered, just as she did when she first refused bail in July, that Maxwell poses a serious flight risk given her wealth, possession of citizenship in multiple countries, and the seriousness of the charges she faces.
The denial came three days after Maxwell celebrated her 59th birthday in a federal prison in Brooklyn on Christmas Day.
In her most recent bailout filing, Maxwell had asked for a $ 22.5 million personal acknowledgment commitment, plus millions of dollars more pledged by seven family members and friends.
She also suggested that armed guards would keep her locked up in a New York City residence and be monitored with an electronic device.
Prosecutors strongly opposed the request, and Nathan agreed with her warrant issued Monday in federal court in Manhattan.
“The court … is of the opinion that the bail terms proposed by the defendant would not reasonably assure her that she would appear in future proceedings,” Nathan wrote in the ruling.
“The court concludes that none of the new information submitted by the defendant in support of her application is of material significance for the court’s determination that she poses a flight risk.”
Maxwell, who was arrested in New Hampshire on July 2, pleaded not guilty to the case.
In addition to allegations of allegedly recruiting and caring for several underage girls for her ex-boyfriend Epstein in the 1990s, Maxwell is also accused of perjury for allegedly lying during a testimony to a lawsuit filed by an Epstein accuser.
She will be on trial next year.
Epstein, 66, died in a federal prison in Manhattan in August 2019, which authorities determined was suicide by hanging.
At the time of his death, Epstein was being held without bail on charges of child trafficking.
A former friend of Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, Epstein previously pleaded guilty to Florida state charges, including paying an underage girl for sexual services.
In that case he was in prison for 13 months, but was released for much of that time.