Prosecutors in the US have requested a New York court appearance for Ghislaine Maxwell on Friday. Maxwell, the British socialite and former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein, is accused of grooming underage girls who were sexually abused by Epstein, the late US financier.
The 58-year-old was apprehended last week at a $1m estate in Bradford, New Hampshire, where she had been hiding.
In a letter to a judge, prosecutors have stated that Maxwell’s defense lawyer, Christian Everdell, is seeking a bail hearing on Friday after both sides submit written arguments. She will also be arraigned at the hearing.
Maxwell has been indicted on various charges, including conspiring to entice girls as young as 14 to engage in illegal sex acts with Epstein from 1994 through 1997 at his residences in New York City, Florida and New Mexico, as well as at her residence in London. Prosecutors argue that the charges carry a potential penalty of up to 35 years in prison.
Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s alleged victims, claimed in a civil lawsuit that Maxwell recruited her into Epstein’s circle, where she states Epstein compelled her to have sex with him and friends, including British royal Prince Andrew – who has vehemently denied the allegations.
The British socialite has consistently denied any wrongdoing previously and dismissed some claims against her as “absolute rubbish”.
Epstein, who pleaded not guilty, died by suicide in a Manhattan jail last August while he was awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.