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Judge denies bail to Ghislaine Maxwell, accused Jeffrey Epstein accomplice


Ghislaine Maxwell appears via video link during her arraignment hearing where she was denied bail for her role aiding Jeffrey Epstein to recruit and eventually abuse of minor girls, in Manhattan Federal Court, in New York, July 14, 2020 in this courtroom sketch.Jane Rosenberg | ReutersA federal judge on Monday for the second time this year denied bail to Ghislaine Maxwell, the wealthy British socialite accused of grooming underage girls to be sexually abused by money manager Jeffrey Epstein.Judge Alison Nathan found, just has she did when she first denied bail in July, that Maxwell poses a serious flight risk, given her wealth, possession of citizenship in multiple countries and the severity of the charges she faces.The bail denial came three days after Maxwell celebrated her 59th birthday on Christmas Day in a federal jail in Brooklyn.In her most recent bail application, Maxwell asked to be released a $22.5 million personal recognizance bond, and millions of dollars more pledged by seven relatives and friends.She also proposed having armed guards ensure that she remained confined to a New York City residence and that she be monitored with an electronic device.Prosecutors strongly opposed the request, and Nathan agreed with them in her order issued Monday in Manhattan federal court.”The Court … finds that the Defendant’s proposed bail conditions would not reasonably assure her appearance at future proceedings,” Nathan wrote in the ruling.”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.”Maxwell has pleaded not guilty in the case.In addition to charges related to allegedly recruiting and grooming several underage girls for her ex-boyfriend Epstein in the 1990s, Maxwell also is charged with perjury for allegedly lying during a deposition for a lawsuit filed by an Epstein accuser.She is due to stand trial next year.Epstein, 66, died in a Manhattan federal jail in August 2019 from what authorities have ruled was a suicide by hanging.At the time of his death, Epstein was being held without bail on child sex trafficking charges.A former friend of Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, Epstein previously pleaded guilty to state charges in Florida that included paying an underage girl for sexual services. He served 13 months in jail in that case, but was let out for much of that time on work release.This is breaking news. Check back for updates.

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