© Jane Rosenberg | Reuters
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 the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S. July 14, 2020 in this courtroom sketch.
A federal judge on Tuesday denied bail for Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite accused of facilitating the sexual abuse of young girls in the mid-1990s by her former boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein, the now-dead investor.
Maxwell, who will remain in jail pending trial, pleaded not guilty at the bail hearing in Manhattan federal court, where her lawyer had sought her release on a $5 million bond.
Maxwell poses "a substantial risk of flight," said Judge Alison Nathan.
"The risk is simply too great" for Maxwell to be released on bail, Nathan said.
The judge noted Maxwell's wealth, her citizenship in Britain and France, other international ties, and her lack of strong family or business connections in the United States, as she denied the bail request.
Nathan also cited the "seriousness" of Maxwell's alleged crimes as a reason she would have to flee and said no bail condition, or combination of conditions, would ensure she would willingly appear in court on the charges.
Maxwell, 58, faces up to 35 years in prison if convicted of crimes that include enticing minors into traveling to have sex with Epstein, and perjury.
Comment: How far can we trust these models in a unpredictable fast changing world?