The most insane Jeffrey Epstein details to come out of the Ghislaine Maxwell bail hearing

July 14 at 3 PM, a New York federal court ruled that Ghislaine Maxwell’s request for bail is denied. The government’s evidence of “risk of flight” was strong enough to keep her in detention as it was in the Jeffrey Epstein case a year ago. 

The prosecution argued that Ghislaine Maxwell is a flight risk due to her assets, citizenship, and a charge of perjury, or lying under oath. Also, the gravity of her crimes which include conspiracy to traffic minors in connection with Jeffrey Epstein was enough to keep her behind bars until the trial. 

The defense addressed these charges to try and secure bail with stringent conditions. They brought up concerns about COVID, privacy, Jeffrey Epstein’s fate, and considerations that some of the government’s evidence should be made at Ghislaine Maxwell’s trial, not a bail hearing. 

In the hearing, surprising details came to light about Ghislaine Maxwell’s life for the last year in response to the Jeffrey Epstein case. Here are some of the most shocking. 

Danger to society v. flight risk

The prosecution made it clear that their case against bail for Ghislaine Maxwell was solely based on flight risk. Unlike Jeffrey Epstein, they didn’t argue for detention on the grounds that Maxwell was a danger to society. 

The defense countered that she did not pose a flight risk, as she expressed a willingness to cooperate. They also mentioned that in similar cases, bail was denied were due to an element of danger where defendants had prior felonies, such as Jeffrey Epstein. 

Ghislaine Maxwell looked at homes with an alias

The prosecution argues that Ghislaine Maxwell spent the last year in hiding. She didn’t tell them where she was through the investigation, bounced around locations, and looked at her New Hampshire home under an alias. This home was the same place she was arrested for her role in the Jeffrey Epstein case. 

The defense argues that Ghislaine Maxwell was hiding from the press, not the law. Due to the Jeffrey Epstein case, Maxwell received death threats due to her involvement with Epstein. Therefore, she was hiding from both the media and people who would do her harm. 

Maxwell’s recent conduct underscores her ability to hide from accountability according to the court. The ruling was brought down due to Ghislaine Maxwell’s ability to flee instead of past behavior. The judge outlined previous cases to support the ruling where defendants who showed no risk of flight did leave the country. 

Maxwell kept her cell phone in tin foil

The prosecution mentioned that Ghislaine Maxwell went to outlandish lengths to avoid detection, including encasing her cell phone in tin foil. 

Ghislaine Maxwell’s defense team claims it was to hide from the press and that the government inadvertently released Ghislaine Maxwell’s email in a brief that should have been redacted. As a result, the media got a hold of her email and phone number. 

Maxwell’s net worth is at least $10M

According to the prosecution, Ghislaine Maxwell wasn’t forthcoming with how much she was worth. The government estimated that she was taking in between $200 and $500,000 per year from interest and had at least $10 million in net worth from properties. However, she didn’t tell the government exactly how much she had. 

However, the defense contests that her net worth is that high, and further highlighted Maxwell’s difficulty making income. A bank dropped her after the charges against Jeffrey Epstein, which they explain is why she transferred funds, no attempt to evade. 

Ghislaine Maxwell provided the court with “scant information” about her finances according to the ruling. Although the defense argues this was due to the conditions of her detention, the court ruled that provisions for counsel can and had been made. 

Extensive foreign connections

Ghislaine Maxwell has extensive personal and financial connections abroad. In addition to friends outside of the country, she has several bank accounts and the means to live indefinitely without being extradited. While the defense pointed out that one bank dropped her because of her ties to Jeffrey Epstein, that wasn’t enough to get her bail. 

The prosecution also pointed out that France, where Ghislaine Maxwell has citizenship, will not extradite its citizens. Despite COVID travel restrictions, Ghislaine Maxwell could hypothetically repatriate there and escape US prosecution indefinitely. 

Voluntary surrender

The defense claims that Ghislaine Maxwell would have surrendered voluntarily. They also cited that Maxwell’s arrest was unnecessary since she would have turned herself in if asked. The prosecution rebutted that Maxwell’s legal team never told them she planned on surrendering. 

A stay in a luxury hotel? 

Ghislaine Maxwell’s bail conditions included a stay at a luxury hotel in Manhattan until the trial. The prosecution argued that Maxwell’s team didn’t provide them with a security plan to ensure Maxwell stays in the hotel, specifically a way to pay. This was a big concern for the court and contributed to Maxwell’s bail request being denied. 

The defense argued that Ghislaine Maxwell was unable to clearly answer financial questions due to conditions in jail. They also posed that the inability to talk to counsel and research for her case could be constitutional violations. The court rebutted that she could speak to counsel via telephone and in-person once COVID limits lift. 

Discovery could take until November

The discovery period, where prosecution and defense gather evidence for trial, could take a while. Ghislaine Maxwell will be included in the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, so that case will be a factor in Maxwell’s trial or plea bargain. 

Ghislaine Maxwell’s defense team also cited the fate of Jeffrey Epstein and COVID in their case. The judge didn’t comment on Epstein, as his death was ruled a suicide, but said that Maxwell didn’t mention her age or a health condition as a reason to be more concerned about COVID.