Maxwell Agrees to Bail Hearing in Manhattan in Epstein Case
Maxwell Agrees to Bail Hearing in Manhattan in Epstein Case
(Bloomberg) -- Ghislaine Maxwell, the socialite charged with helping Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse girls, agreed to a detention hearing in Manhattan.
Maxwell, who was arrested Thursday morning in New Hampshire, waived her right to a bail hearing there in a brief videoconference in federal court in Manchester on Thursday.
“Are you waiving your right?” U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrea Johnstone asked Maxwell.
“I am,” Maxwell said softly.
Lawrence Vogelman, the New Hampshire lawyer Maxwell hired to defend her, declined to comment on the charges after the hearing. Maxwell, who was close to Epstein for years, has long denied that she was involved in his acts.
Maxwell, who attended Oxford, has extensive international connections and has made 15 overseas trips in the last three years to places including the United Kingdom, Japan and Qatar, prosecutors said in a court filing asking that she be held in jail. They said they’ve located more than a dozen bank accounts for her, including one with a balance of more than $20 million.
Since Epstein’s arrest a year ago, Maxwell has been hiding out in New England, most recently on a 156-acre property in Bradford, New Hampshire, according to the government.
She remains in federal custody pending her transfer to Manhattan.
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