Four days before Christmas in 2020, Judge Alison Nathan denied Ghislaine Maxwell’s second attempt at bail, rejecting a proposed $28.5 million package that her defense team claimed would ensure she remained in New York before trial. The proposal included home confinement with 24-hour armed guards, electronic monitoring, and the surrender of all passports. Prosecutors argued that Maxwell’s immense wealth, international ties, and history of evasion made her a serious flight risk. The court agreed, emphasizing that Maxwell had the resources and connections to flee the country and that no amount of private security or money could guarantee her compliance.

Judge Nathan’s order detailed that Maxwell held citizenships in three countries — the U.S., the U.K., and France — and had hidden for months before her July 2020 arrest, allegedly using fake names, secret accounts, and purchased properties under aliases. The judge ruled that her capacity to conceal herself and access vast funds made her detention necessary to ensure she would appear for trial. Prosecutors had also highlighted her pattern of “sophisticated financial maneuvers” and the fact that French law prohibits extradition of French nationals, which could allow her to permanently escape U.S. jurisdiction. As a result, Maxwell remained in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn through the holidays and up until her 2021 trial.


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