“There will be no trial for victims if the defendant has a chance to flee the jurisdiction, and there is every reason to think that is exactly what he will do if he is released,” prosecutors wrote in a court filing Monday.
Prosecutors at the United States Attorney’s office in Manhattan asked the judge to detain Maxwell, who was arrested on charges that he helped recruit, prepare and ultimately abuse minors, saying it is an extreme risk of escape with three passports and multiple foreign bank accounts.
Maxwell is scheduled to appear by video before a federal judge on Tuesday. She has denied having done anything wrong.
At least one of Maxwell’s alleged victims is expected to speak at the hearing and request that she be detained, according to prosecutors. They also noted that since Maxwell’s arrest, other people have submitted information.
In Monday’s filing, prosecutors said their proposal for home confinement, GPS tracking, and a guaranteed $ 5 million bond, in part, with property in the UK, is worth “nothing.”
They said that Maxwell has demonstrated a skillful ability to hide. When FBI agents went to arrest Maxwell at a New Hampshire mansion on July 3, instead of obeying the agent’s order to open the door, Maxwell fled to another room and closed the door behind her, according to the filing. of the court. After the FBI opened the door, they found Maxwell inside and arrested her.
“As officers conducted a security sweep of the home, they also noticed a foil-wrapped cell phone on top of a desk, an apparently misguided effort to evade detection, not by the press or the public, who of course would not have the ability to track his phone or intercept his communications, but by the police, “prosecutors wrote.
Maxwell’s brother hired former members of the British Army to protect his sister on the New Hampshire property, prosecutors said. Maxwell provided one of the guards with a credit card, on behalf of the limited liability company used to purchase the $ 1 million property in a cash settlement, to make purchases on her behalf, according to prosecutors.
“As these facts make clear, there should be no doubt that the accused is an expert in living in hiding,” prosecutors wrote.
Prosecutors also contested Maxwell’s bail proposal for six people to jointly sign a $ 5 million bond, which would be secured in part by a $ 3.75 million property in the UK. He also said he would hand over his passports and limit travel to the southern and eastern districts of New York.
The government said Maxwell did not identify the people who would sign their bond by name and said they do not have the ability to confiscate property in another country. They also said that France, where Maxwell has citizenship, does not extradite her citizens.
Prosecutors also cited Maxwell’s own wealth as a means for her to flee the country. Maxwell revealed to the U.S. Treasury Department that in 2018 and 2019 he sometimes kept $ 2 million in an English bank and had a balance of $ 4 million in a Swiss bank. But prosecutors say Maxwell’s finances are “opaque,” noting that she has not completed an affidavit describing her assets.
“Given the seriousness of the crimes charged, the defendant’s substantial remedies, his willingness to evade detection and his lies under oath, the Court should accept the proposed bail package for what it’s worth: nothing,” prosecutors wrote.
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