Ghislaine Maxwell tried to flee and had a phone wrapped in tin foil to avoid detection when the FBI raided her $1.5m hideaway
Ghislaine Maxwell is being moved regularly in the New York jail where she’s being held over concerns for her safety, as it was revealed she tried to run away when the FBI smashed down her door.
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Ghislaine Maxwell wrapped her mobile phone in tin foil in an attempt to stay off the radar of law enforcement, prosecutors opposed to bear being granted bail have claimed.
She refused to open the front door to the FBI when they raided her $A1.5m home and fled to another room in the house, and was seen “quickly shutting a door behind her”.
The FBI smashed down the door and discovered a mobile phone wrapped in tin foil which prosecutors called a “seemingly misguided effort to evade detection” by law enforcement.
New York prosecutors said this was evidence that Maxwell was “skilled at living in hiding” and should be denied bail.
Maxwell, 58, will appear in court Tuesday local time when a judge will rule on whether she should be granted bail.
Currently she is being held in the fortress-like Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn where she is wearing paper clothes to ensure she doesn’t kill herself.
The Department of Justice is determined to ensure there will be no repeat of the suicide of Epstein when he hanged himself in jail last August while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Maxwell is accused of grooming girls as young as 14 for Epstein to abuse.
Prosecutors from the Southern District of New York outlined their case against Maxwell’s bail in a 19- page document.
Maxwell had offered a $A7.5m bond co-signed by two of her sisters and backed up more than $5m in property in the UK.
She would be confined to a home in the New York area, surrender all her travel documents and be subject to GPS monitoring.
But prosecutors argued nothing would ensure that somebody with three passports, including for France which has no extradition treaty with the UK, would suffice.
They said that the way she behaved during the July 2 raid at the property called “Tuckedaway” in New Hampshire was “troubling”.
When the FBI arrived they were confronted by a locked gate which they forced their way through, according to The Daily Mail.
“As the agents approached the front door to the main house, they announced themselves as FBI agents and directed the defendant to open the door,” the prosecutors said.
“Through a window, the agents saw the defendant ignore the direction to open the door and, instead, try to flee to another room in the house, quickly shutting a door behind her. Agents were ultimately forced to breach the door in order to enter the house to arrest the defendant, who was found in an interior room in the house.
“Moreover, as the agents conducted a security sweep of the house, they also noticed a cell phone wrapped in tin foil on top of a desk, a seemingly misguided effort to evade detection, not by the press or public, which of course would have no ability to trace her phone or intercept her communications, but by law enforcement.”
After Maxwell was arrested, the FBI spoke to a security guard who worked on the property who said that her brother had hired him from a company staffed with former British military soldiers.
“The guard informed the FBI that the defendant had not left the property during his time working there, and that instead, the guard was sent to make purchases for the property using the credit card. As these facts make plain, there should be no question that the defendant is skilled at living in hiding.”
In their filings to the court Maxwell’s lawyers had argued that she is at increased risk of catching the coronavirus while in prison.
They claim that the restrictions on access to her lawyers caused by the pandemic would mean it was impossible for her to get a fair trial.
The prosecutors said that in fact the prison had made substantial efforts to accommodate her and keep her safe.
EPSTEIN’S MADAM ‘MOVED’ OVER FEARS FOR HER LIFE
Ghislaine Maxwell is reportedly being moved from “cell to cell” as authorities in the US are concerned that she will be harmed in prison.
The disgraced British socialite is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn, ahead of a court hearing on child sex abuse charges.
The ex-girlfriend of paedophile Jeffrey Epstein is in custody over her alleged role in the grooming and abuse of the late billionaire's underage victims.
Maxwell strongly denies the charges against her.
It comes as reports emerged that the 58-year-old moved house up to 36 times in the past year — before the FBI finally pinned down her location a week before her arrest.
Maxwell’s arrest came after she evaded police for 12 months. Friends claim Maxwell began on the US West Coast, crisscrossed from Colorado to Wyoming and Idaho, before ending in the east where she was detained by police.
According to The Sun, a source close to Maxwell reportedly said: “Ghislaine has been constantly on the move throughout the last year. She would stay in properties for a few days or a week. Security guards were by her side due to death threats.
“She was never running from the Feds. She was running from journalists and crazy people who wanted to kill her. It was a serious problem. Her location was on a need-to-know basis.”
Maxwell, who has been charged in relation to US tycoon Epstein’s sex trafficking ring, is set to appear via videolink for a bail hearing in New York on Tuesday.
She is intending to “vigorously” defend herself and is seeking bail on a $A7 million bond, in return for home confinement, GPS monitoring and passport confiscation.
If the judge opens up the court’s public gallery, it will give people the first opportunity to catch a glimpse of her since last August.
MAXWELL FIGHTS TO BLOCK RELEASE OF SECRET DOCUMENTS
Meanwhile, Maxwell is fighting to stop the release of secret court documents that could expose her sex life and pile further pressure on public figures with alleged ties to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Lawyers acting for the disgraced British socialite say the dossier is “extremely personal” and may be used to “promote public scandal”, The Times reports.
The sealed documents are believed to include the names of “hundreds of people” with alleged links to Epstein, more than 400 pages of Maxwell’s own testimony, and police reports. They also reportedly contain details of flights taken on Epstein’s private jet, “the Lolita Express”.
“Intrusive questions” about Maxwell’s “sex life” are also included, according to her lawyer Jeffrey Pagluica in a filing last month.
“The subject matter of these is extremely personal, confidential and subject to considerable abuse by the media,” it says. “Courts must exercise their supervisory power over their own records and files to ensure they are not used to gratify private spite or promote public scandal.”
The evidence she is trying to block is related to a civil defamation action brought against her by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who now lives in Australia.
The Epstein accuser claims Maxwell introduced her to Prince Andrew, and alleges she was forced to have sex with the royal when she was 17. The Duke of York vehemently denies the allegations.
Ms Roberts Giuffre launched the legal action in 2015 after Maxwell accused her of lying. It was settled two years later before it reached trial, but hundreds of court filings remain unreleased or redacted.
SHOCK CLAIMS OVER US POLITICIANS’ EPSTEIN LINKS
It comes as a former friend of Maxwell claimed she had video of two “high profile” US politicians, along with other powerful figures, having sex with underage girls, claims a former friend of the British socialite.
Former jewel thief and author, who uses the pseudonym William Steel, said he had suspected that Epstein and Maxwell were sexually abusing underage girls after meeting them in a jewellery store in Florida, he claimed in an interview with The Sun.
Steel did not elaborate on who the people were in the videos. He did allege that he had sex with Maxwell, describing her as a “nymphomaniac” and saying she would do “everything and anything in bed”.
“I was forced to watch their videos because they were trying to impress me,” Steel told the newspaper.
“They wanted to convince me of their power and who they held in their grip. I saw videos of very powerful people — celebrities, world figures — in those videos having sex, threesomes, even orgies with minors.”
Steel said he has come forward because he wants to see Maxwell, who allegedly procured young girls for her lover, Epstein, convicted for her alleged crimes.
Maxwell is in a Brooklyn jail facing multiple sex abuse charges. Epstein died in an apparent suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial in New York.
MAXWELL WANTS OUT OF JAIL OVER VIRUS FEARS
Reports also emerged that Maxwell’s legal team also demanded their client be released from jail immediately amid fears of her being at risk of “catching coronavirus”.
Maxwell claims the sex trafficking charges against her are “meritless” and she intends to fight the claims.
Also in court filings from her defence team, Maxwell denied she had been in hiding from federal prosecutors since Epstein committed suicide in jail.
Instead, her lawyers claimed, she was trying to evade the media.
“But sometimes the simplest point is the most critical one: Ghislaine Maxwell is not Jeffrey Epstein,” the defence filing reads.
“She was not named in the government’s indictment of Epstein in 2019, despite the fact that the government has been investigating this case for years.
“Simply put, under these circumstances, if Ms. Maxwell continues to be detained, her health will be at serious risk and she will not be able to receive a fair trial.
“The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York … caused a meritless indictment to be issued against Ms Maxwell.
“Ms Maxwell vigorously denies the charges, intends to fight them, and is entitled to the presumption of innocence.”
Her team claims she hadn’t spoken to Epstein for 10 years.
“Epstein died in federal custody, and the media focus quickly shifted to our client – wrongly trying to substitute her for Epstein – even though she’d had no contact with Epstein for more than a decade, had never been charged with a crime or been found liable in any civil litigation, and has always denied any allegations of claimed misconduct,” her lawyers contended.
Her court filing came in Maxwell’s response to a civil lawsuit brought by a woman known only as “Jane Doe”.
She claims that she was only 13 when she was first approached by Maxwell and Epstein in 1994 at a summer music camp in Michigan.
Legal papers state that Jane Doe was their first known victim and was “abused by Epstein and Maxwell for years as a young girl, suffering unimaginable physical and psychological trauma and distress.
“Maxwell also regularly facilitated Epstein’s abuse of Doe and was frequently present when it occurred.”
Maxwell was arrested on July 2 by the FBI and faces six charges, including perjury and conspiring with Epstein in a multistate sex trafficking scheme involving three underage girls.
Her court filing claimed she has been running away from the media, not the law.
“Ever since Epstein’s arrest, Ms. Maxwell has been at the centre of a crushing onslaught of press articles, television specials, and social media posts painting her in the most damning light possible and prejudging her guilt,” her attorneys wrote in a response to federal prosecutors memo requesting that she be remanded before her trial.
“She has seen helicopters flying over her home and reporters hiding in the bushes.
“Ms Maxwell did not take these steps to hide from law enforcement or evade prosecution. Instead, they were necessary measures that Ms Maxwell was forced to take to protect herself, her family members, her friends and colleagues, and their children, from unrelenting and intrusive media coverage, threats, and irreparable reputational harm.”
Her lawyers are requesting she be released on $A7.5 million bond and that she turn over her travel documents as part of the deal. Prosecutors argue she is an extreme flight risk.
GHISLAINE MADE TO WEAR PAPER CLOTHES IN CUSTODY
US federal officials reportedly gave Jeffrey Epstein’s “madam” paper clothes and took away her bed sheets over fears she might take her own life while in custody.
The US Justice Department has ramped up safety protocols and some federal officials have been told to ensure there are measures in place and prison protocols are being followed to help ensure Ghislaine Maxwell does not harm herself and is not harmed by others, according to reports.
The disgraced socialite was arrested last week at her sprawling hideaway in New Hampshire after a year on the run from authorities.
She is accused of helping procure girls for paedophile financier Epstein – who committed suicide in prison last year. Maxwell has strongly denied the allegations.
Maxwell is set to appear remotely via videolink for a bail hearing on July 14.
At the hearing, prosecutors will argue for her to remain behind bars without bail.
US Attorney-General William Barr said he was “livid” when Epstein killed himself in jail because he wanted justice for his victims, and vowed Maxwell would not be allowed do the same.
“I believed very strongly in that case and I was very proud of the work done by the department, the Southern District on that case, and as you recall, after he committed suicide,” Barr said.
“I said that I was confident that we would continue to pursue this case vigorously and continue to pursue anyone who was complicit in it.
“I was very happy we were able to get Ms Maxwell.”
ANDREW HAS ‘NO EXIT STRATEGY’ AMID SCANDAL
Meanwhile, Prince Andrew has no “exit strategy” for his PR nightmare in the wake of longtime friend Maxwell’s FBI arrest, a top expert has claimed.
Public Relations guru Mark Borkowski says the under-fire royal seemingly can’t escape the spiralling Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
“It’s a bit of a nightmare at the moment,” he told NBC News in the US.
“He’s inextricably linked with this story, there is no exit strategy.”
Borkowski – who has worked with top stars including the late Michael Jackson – said a lot now depends on what Maxwell tells the authorities following her arrest on child sex charges.
The British-born media expert believes Prince Andrew should either stay silent or invite the US authorities “to come and meet him on home turf.”
He added the Duke of York could take “the heat off” of himself by explaining his relationship with both Epstein and Maxwell.
On Tuesday it was reported sources said the prince was “agonising” over the arrest of socialite Maxwell – and fears “making enemies”.
The royal hasn’t offered a comment since his old friend was arrested and charged with grooming and trafficking underage girls for Epstein.
Britain’s Telegraph newspaper reported that Prince Andrew is caught in a dilemma over how to proceed while facing questioning by the FBI.
He hasn’t denounced convicted paedophile Epstein – including in a TV interview last year.
And Prince Andrew now allegedly fears being dragged further into the probe by Maxwell, who allegedly has “secret copies of Epstein’s sex tapes”.
The ex “pimp” of Epstein was busted by the FBI in New Hampshire on Thursday and charged with sex trafficking.
Maxwell is said to have introduced Prince Andrew to Epstein victim Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who claims she slept with the royal at 17.
The duke vehemently denies the allegations and his lawyers say they have offered to provide a witness statement to the US Department of Justice.
MODEL ‘DIDN’T HIDE’ MAXWELL
Supermodel Yolanda Hadid has denied claims that she let Maxwell hide out at the family’s Pennsylvania farmhouse in November 2019.
The mother of Gigi and Bella Hadid spoke out publicly following a series of tweets from Dutch journalist Henk Van Ess, who claimed he tracked Maxwell through her IP address.
Van Ess claimed Maxwell had visited a doughnut shop in the vicinity of the Hadids’ farmhouse in New Hope, Pennsylvania, while also noting that she was “friendly with the Hadid family.”
He tweeted — then deleted — a post containing a link to an article about the Hadids’ home, writing, “Thanks to @NWOGaction here are some photos of the place #ghislanemaxwell near #doylestown probably stayed in – the farm of Dutch born Yolanda van den Herik, now called Yolanda Hadid.”
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Yolanda has refuted the allegations, according to Page Six.
“I do not know or have ever associated with Ghislaine … the first time I have heard about her or any of this was watching the documentary, like the rest of the world, on Netflix,” she tweeted, before accusing Van Ess of not contacting her for comment.
Van Ess’ tweets, some of which have since been deleted, were posted Thursday — the same day Maxwell was arrested on sex abuse charges.
Gigi came to her mother’s defence on Twitter, also accusing Van Ess of failing to contact Yolanda.
“My (mother), clearly from her timeline, almost never uses the Twitter app. this was only brought to her attention by me bc fans were sending me your tweets,” Gigi wrote.
ROYAL ‘MAY BE IN SEX TAPE’
A cousin of Prince Andrew claims the royal may be among the “social elite” captured on “secret video footage” by Ghislaine Maxwell, one-time lover of paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The cousin, author Christina Oxenberg, said Maxwell will “talk” to keep herself out of jail, and may throw Prince Andrew under the bus by handing over damaging video.
The Prince has completely denied any involvement in the sex crimes of Epstein, who killed himself in a Manhattan jail last year.
But Ms Oxenberg, who first met paedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged “madam” Maxwell in 1990 and had various encounters with her over the years, told The Sun Maxwell once “boasted” to her about procuring women for the monster and recording their pals – and she’s willing to testify in court.
The author called Maxwell “evil” and said she will reveal all in an attempt to get a more lenient sentence, if convicted.
“I think she thinks she can get out, obviously she’s planning on trading (information),” she said. “I personally think she’s the big fish here.
“She’s really evil, she’s caused so much hellish damage for a human being, she will now try and find a way to wriggle out of it.
“Jeffrey paid her a lot of money to do this, she was patted on the head, she did it willingly, she didn’t have a gun to her head.
“My point of view is Ghislaine is the problem, I’m so glad she’s been arrested and I really hope there is some justice and she does some time.”
Prince Andrew, 60, has strenuously denied claims he slept with Epstein’s sex slave, 17-year-old Virginia Giuffre, three times in London, New York, and the Caribbean, while he is yet to speak with the FBI.
Ms Oxenberg, who is publishing her own life stories via the website Patreon, believes Ghislaine may spill the beans about Andrew, but she feels the focus of the investigation should be on those who groomed and trafficked women.
“He is one of many Johns, all of whom were videotaped by Ghislaine,” she claims, after she allegedly told her in 1997 they secretly kept tabs on their friends.
Andrew came onto the scene in 1999, and she feels the royal, along with those Maxwell has information on, could be her “get out of jail free cards.”
“He is not a victim here, but Ghislaine was never his friend, she was taping him,” Ms Oxenberg said. “Friends don’t tape friends.
“He may be thick as a plank, but she’s a depraved predatory child sex abuser, big difference.
“I think in his mind, he’s justified it to the degree that if she hadn’t invited him, he wouldn’t have been there.”
She claims: “At no point would he have thought, ‘Oh, this young lady here is under coercion and pressure and a slave’.
“I just don’t see him as a very critical element in this whole thing, but to Virginia, he’s totally critical.
“I’m 100 per cent with the victims and I want them to get whatever they want.
“The women who went through this trauma must be elated, but it is not the end of the road for them.
“No doubt they should and will pursue financial compensation – whatever they want is what I want for them.”
Epstein’s alleged “pimp” was arrested on six charges of sex-trafficking and perjury and has not yet entered a plea, although she previously denied allegations of sexual misconduct.
Ms Oxenberg insists she would be willing to testify in court, recalling her three hour conversation with Ghislaine about her procuring women for Epstein.
“I will definitely be there to remind her that in ‘97 she told me copious amounts.
“I spoke to the FBI in April 2019 and they asked me, if it comes to trial would you testify and I said yes.
“It takes a while to even believe that a female would do that to little girls, it’s just heartbreaking.”
Back in 1997, Ghislaine tracked down Christina, who is the Duke’s second cousin once removed, and “aggressively pitched” for her to ghost write her autobiography, which she declined.
POLICE DESPERATE TO KEEP MAXWELL ALIVE
Prison authorities in New York are desperately trying to ensure that Maxwell, is not able to commit suicide in jail as her ex-lover did last year.
Epstein managed to kill himself in a Manhattan jail cell despite being on high watch.
Maxwell is now in a cell in Brooklyn and authorities are falling over themselves to make sure she is not left alone and cannot take her own life.
Epstein was arrested for sex-trafficking by the same US Attorney’s Office last year — but committed suicide in his Lower Manhattan jail cell before he could face trial.
A law enforcement source told the New York Post that prison officials at the jail in Brooklyn are determined to avoid a similar outcome with Maxwell.
“They want to make sure she’ll stand trial,” the source said, adding that the Bureau of Prisons doesn’t want another “black eye”.
She’ll be tailed by prison officers every time she leaves her cell and a surveillance camera will be trained on her, according to the source.
Her court appearance could come as early as Thursday local time if she agrees to being arraigned virtually, Judge Alison Nathan wrote in an order.
She’ll remain locked up at the Metropolitan Detention Centre until the hearing, when a judge will determine if she’ll stay behind bars until her trial or be granted bail.
Injuring a high-profile inmate like Maxwell “would be a badge of honour,” former MDC warden Cameron Lindsay said.
It will be a key concern when deciding whether to keep Maxwell alone in her 3m by 4m cell or housed with another woman, a technique often favoured to help keep inmates from attempting suicide, Mr Lindsay said.
Either way, going from her luxury lifestyle to the troubled lockup will be a “crushing experience,” Mr Lindsay said.
“You go from living a life like Maxwell to all of a sudden being in a situation where you’re being stripsearched and having people look into your body cavities,” the former warden said.
She’s accused in the six-count indictment of enticing three underage girls to meet Epstein at his various properties in New York, New Mexico and London.
Originally published as Ghislaine Maxwell tried to flee and had a phone wrapped in tin foil to avoid detection when the FBI raided her $1.5m hideaway