Here's How Badly Ghislaine Maxwell Wants Out of Prison

Jeffrey Epstein confidant offers to put up all of her assets for bail
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 15, 2020 10:15 AM CST
Here's How Badly Ghislaine Maxwell Wants Out of Prison
In this July 2, 2020, file photo, Audrey Strauss, acting US attorney for the Southern District of New York, points to a photo of Jeffrey Epstein, left, and Ghislaine Maxwell during a news conference in New York.   (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

Ghislaine Maxwell wants out of prison and is apparently willing to put up all of her assets to make that happen. The British socialite accused of grooming underage girls for convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein asked to be released from confinement in a court filing revealed Monday, claiming she's "not the person the media has portrayed her to be," per the BBC. To persuade a judge to allow her release from Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center on house arrest, the 58-year-old proposed a $28.5 million bail package. About $22.5 million of that represents all of the assets Maxwell holds in a trust controlled by her spouse, including three homes worth $8 million, plus $500,000 in cash, reports the Guardian. Friends and family have pledged another $5 million, while a security specialist vowing to provide Maxwell with armed guards is pledging $1 million.

A previous bail request was denied shortly after Maxwell's arrest in July. Prosecutors said Maxwell was a flight risk. But she's offered to waive her extradition rights, meaning she can't seek refuge in the UK or France, where she holds citizenship. She adds she only ever sought to evade media attention, not law enforcement, following Epstein's arrest and death. In a letter, her spouse describes how she'd fled "the intense media frenzy and threats," per the Guardian. "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," her lawyers say. Prosecutors have until Wednesday to respond, per Reuters. A judge could rule on the request this month, per the BBC. Maxwell faces up to 35 years in prison if convicted at trial in July. (Her lawyer has complained of unfair treatment in prison.)

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