Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime associate of late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, said she should be granted bail while awaiting trial.
The 58-year-old British socialite filed a request for bail of $5 million in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan on Friday, a week after she was arrested by the FBI in New Hampshire, saying she “vigorously denies the charges, intends to fight them, and is entitled to the presumption of innocence.”
Maxwell, who has been charged with conspiring with Epstein to recruit, groom, and sexually abuse underage girls as well as perjury in depositions regarding Epstein, has been housed in the Metropolitan Detention Center. Her defense team argues she is at serious risk of being infected by the coronavirus.
Prosecutors, however, say Maxwell is a flight risk and have asked the presiding judge to overlook health concerns due to the high-profile nature of the case. Maxwell, who was well known in political and social circles, is also being watched around the clock in case she attempts suicide.
A representative for acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss of Manhattan declined to comment on the case.
Epstein, a registered sex offender and wealthy financier, was arrested in July 2019 on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges for allegedly abusing girls as young as 14. The 66-year-old was found dead in his Manhattan prison cell in August, which the New York City medical examiner determined to be a suicide.
Epstein was friends with many prolific political figures, including President Bill Clinton and Britain’s Prince Andrew. Maxwell is seen by some as the key to understanding just how deep Epstein’s ties to high-profile figures ran.
Maxwell is not being held in the same prison Epstein was when he took his own life.
