Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime Jeffrey Epstein companion accused of facilitating the disgraced financier's alleged child sex abuse, is married, and has declined to reveal her spouse’s name, prosecutors said Tuesday.
The assertion was made during Maxwell’s arraignment on charges of conspiracy to entice minors to engage in illegal sex acts, conspiracy to entice minors to engage in illegal sex acts, transportation of a minor to engage in illegal sex acts and perjury. She pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Prosecutors allege Maxwell, 58, helped groom girls as young as 14 for sex abuse by Epstein during a period spanning 1994 to 1997, and say she sometimes participated in the abuse herself.
In a court filing obtained by PEOPLE, Maxwell’s attorneys asked for her to be released on a personal recognizance bond of $5 million “co-signed by six financially responsible people, all of whom have strong ties to Ms. Maxwell.” But a judge denied the request Tuesday, ordering her held behind bars.
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Prosecutors noted in the filing that Maxwell is a citizen of France, which does not extradite its own citizens. The filing said she “appears to have access to considerable wealth domestically and abroad” and alleged “she appears to be skilled at living in hiding.”
: Ghislaine Maxwell, Former Jeffrey Epstein Companion, Arrested by FBI
Attorneys for Maxwell, a British socialite and heiress who is Epstein's former girlfriend, argued in their court filing that Maxwell “is not Jeffrey Epstein.” The filing added, “She should be treated like any other defendant who comes before this Court, including as to bail.”
An indictment against Maxwell, who was arrested July 2, alleges she "enticed and groomed multiple minor girls to engage in sex acts with Jeffrey Epstein, through a variety of means and methods."
“Having developed a rapport with a victim, Maxwell would try to normalize sexual abuse for a minor victim by, among other things, discussing sexual topics, undressing in front of the victim, being present when a minor victim was undressed, and/or being present for sex acts involving the minor victim and Epstein,” the indictment states, adding that Maxwell allegedly sometimes participated in the sex abuse herself.
In August 2019, Epstein died by suicide while in jail awaiting trial on multiple child sex abuse charges.
Maxwell, who is also the subject of ongoing civil litigation in connection with Epstein, has long denied allegations of wrongdoing. PEOPLE’s request for comment to her attorneys, Mark S. Cohen and Christian R. Everdell, was not immediately returned.
Maxwell is being held at Metropolitan Detention Center. Her trial is scheduled for July 2021.
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