Ghislaine Maxwell denies Jeffrey Epstein charges, seeks bail citing coronavirus risk
Ghislaine Maxwell denies Jeffrey Epstein charges, seeks bail citing coronavirus risk
1 hour ago
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Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime associate of late financier Jeffrey Epstein, has denied charges she lured underage girls for him to sexually abuse.
Ms Maxwell, 58, filed her bail request in the US District Court in Manhattan, citing the risk she might contract COVID-19 in jail
She appeared eight days after being arrested in New Hampshire, where authorities said she had been hiding at a sprawling property she bought while shielding her identity.
A spokesman for acting US Attorney Audrey Strauss in Manhattan declined to comment.
Ms Maxwell has been housed since Monday at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
She said her detention there put her at "significant risk" of contracting the coronavirus, after 55 inmates and staff had tested positive for COVID-19 through June 30.
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Her arraignment is on July 14, and prosecutors want her detained until trial.
Prosecutors cite 'extreme' flight risk
Ms Maxwell's proposed bail package includes a $US5 million ($7.2 million) bond, the surrender of her passports, "stringent" travel restrictions, and home detention with electronic monitoring.
She said she would continue needing security guards to ensure her safety.
Ms Maxwell also maintained she was not a flight risk, claiming to have remained in the United States since Mr Epstein's arrest.
"[She] did not flee, but rather left the public eye, for the entirely understandable purpose of protecting herself and those close to her from the crush of media and online attention and its very real harms," the filing said.
Friday's filing also raised several legal challenges to the indictment, including that Mr Epstein's 2007 non-prosecution agreement with the US government covered "any potential co-conspirators".