Ex-Epstein pal seeks bail with USD 28.5M and armed guards
New York: Lawyers for the former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein are urging a judge to free her to await trial under a USD 28.5 million bail package that would include armed guards to keep her in a New York City residence and protect her safety.
The bail arguments on behalf of Ghislaine Maxwell were filed under seal last Tuesday, but were publicly filed late Monday with redactions in Manhattan federal court that were approved by Judge Alison J Nathan.
The lawyers said Maxwell and her spouse, with whom she has been living for the past four years, were offering a USD 22.5 million personal recognisance bond secured by about USD 8 million in property and USD 500,000 in cash. They said USD 22.5 million represents all of Maxwell and her spouse's assets.
The spouse was not identified in court papers. The identities of seven other close friends and family members who the lawyers said were willing to pledge about USD 5 million of their own assets toward the bail package were also not revealed. They also said she would have electronic monitoring.
Maxwell is scheduled to face a July trial on charges that she recruited three teenage girls for Epstein to abuse in the mid-1990s.
Her first attempt at bail shortly after her July arrest was rejected.
Ms. Maxwell vehemently maintains her innocence and is committed to defending herself, the lawyers wrote. She wants nothing more than to remain in this country to fight the allegations against her, which are based on the uncorroborated testimony of a handful of witnesses about events that took place over 25 years ago.
To support the bail request, the lawyers included a letter from Maxwell's spouse. They said the letter tells how Ms. Maxwell was forced to leave her family and drop out of public view, not because she was eluding law enforcement, but because of the intense media frenzy and threats following the arrest and death of Jeffrey Epstein.
Epstein killed himself in a federal Manhattan lockup in August 2019 as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges.
A spokesperson for prosecutors declined to comment.
