NEW YORK: Ghislaine Maxwell pleaded not guilty in a New York court on Tuesday to sex trafficking minors for her former partner, the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, as a judge denied her bail.
Prosecutors accuse Maxwell, daughter of the late newspaper baron Robert Maxwell, of helping Epstein"recruit, groom and ultimately abuse" multiple underage girls. They allege she"persuaded, induced, enticed and coerced" minor victims to travel across US state lines and abroad for the purpose of the illegal sex acts.
The decision came despite pleas from her defence team, which insisted she was not a flight risk and argued for home confinement in New York with GPS monitoring on bail of US$5 million. They said it appears she is shielding assets and used an alias to buy the secluded New Hampshire luxury property where she was arrested on Jul 2.
After Epstein hanged himself in a New York cell last August ahead of his trial on sex-trafficking charges, prosecutors vowed to pursue any possible co-conspirators.