Ghislaine Maxwell documents released, show emails with Epstein
Court documents show that Ghislaine Maxwell was in contact with Jeffrey Epstein despite claims saying she had not been in touch with the convicted sex offender for more than a decade; Bryan Llenas reports.
Ghislaine Maxwell is telling a federal court of appeals that in jail she’s being treated worse than convicted male perverts such as Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein and that her isolation conditions are "fitting for" cannibal serial killer "Hannibal Lecter."
In a filing this Thursday with the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, a known associate of the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, is pleading to be treated like any other accused male defendant who is awaiting trial – "innocent unless and until she is proven guilty."
"The truth is that wealthy men charged with similar or more serious offenses, many of whom have foreign ties, are routinely granted bail so that they can effectively prepare for trial. Bernie Madoff. Harvey Weinstein. Bill Cosby. John Gotti. Marc Dreier. Dominique Strauss-Kahn," her attorney David Markus said.
Maxwell is currently being held at the federal prison, Metropolitan Detention Center, in Brooklyn. She is being held in what her lawyers say is the "equivalent to solitary confinement" and under suicide watch after Epstein died while in the custody of the Bureau of Prisons.
The daughter of the late publishing tycoon Robert Maxwell is in "deteriorating health and mental condition from lack of sleep," according to her attorneys, "because she is intentionally awakened every 15 minutes by lights shined directly into her small cell." The lawyers also say she receives "inadequate food."
In February, Maxwell made a third attempt at getting released on bail while awaiting trial, but a federal judge denied her that right. Her lawyers are now appealing the district court judge’s order to the higher court.
In court papers filed in February, Maxwell had offered to renunciate her French and British citizenships.
She was also ready to place the assets of her and her husband tech entrepreneur Scott Borgerson in a new account and allow a retired district court judge to monitor it.
The move would have placed barriers on Maxwell in having the means to flee the country or venture outside of the jurisdiction of this Southern District of New York.
However, the judge shot down -- again -- any chance of Epstein’s alleged madam seeing daylight any time soon.
"To summarize, the defendant’s willingness to renounce her French and UK citizenship does not sufficiently assuage the Court’s concerns regarding the risk of flight that the defendant poses," Judge Alison Nathan justified her decision a couple of weeks ago.
Meanwhile, Maxwell was hit with a superseding indictment this week that adds charges stemming from a new victim’s allegations, who claims the defendant sold her to Epstein when she was only 14 years old.
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In a response to prosecutors, the defense called their timing "obvious tactical gamesmanship" as it comes only three months ahead of the current July 12 trial date. "This delay has a prejudicial effect on counsel’s readiness for trial and Ms. Maxwell’s prolonged detention," her attorney stated in a filing.
The attorneys complain that the government is still refusing to provide them with the names of the accusers and that this is also preventing them from "effectively" preparing for trial. In light of this, the new accuser and evidence, her attorneys are now considering requesting to postpone the trial.
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