Maxwell To Be Held Without Bail Until July 2021 Trial

The BBC reports:

Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite and ex-girlfriend of the late US convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, has been denied bail in a high-profile sex case.

At a hearing via video link, a New York judge said she would remain in custody while awaiting trial on charges of trafficking minors for Epstein. Ms Maxwell, who pleaded not guilty, will go on trial in July 2021.

Her lawyers had said she was at risk of contracting coronavirus in prison. Epstein died in prison on 10 August 2019 as he awaited his trial on sex trafficking charges. His death was determined to be suicide.

NBC News reports:

An alleged victim of Ghislaine Maxwell delivered an emotional statement in court Tuesday, calling Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime associate a “sexual predator” who has never shown remorse for devastating the lives of young girls.

Annie Farmer spoke in a steady voice via an audio feed piped into the courtroom at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in Manhattan before the judge ordered Maxwell to remain behind bars until her trial.

“I met Ghislaine Maxwell when I was 16 years old,” Farmer said. “She is a sexual predator who groomed and abused me and countless other children and young women. She has never shown any remorse for her heinous crimes or the devastating, lasting effects her actions caused.”