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Epstein case: Ex-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell's lawyer seeks gag order to ensure fair trial

The attorney said an order is necessary to prevent 'prejudicial pretrial publicity'.

By AP |
AFP
Ghislaine Maxwell pleaded not guilty last week to charges that she recruited three girls in the 1990s for Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse during massage sessions.
NEW YORK: A lawyer for financier Jeffrey Epstein's ex-girlfriend on Tuesday asked a judge presiding over her sex crimes case to impose a gag order on lawyers and others to reduce prejudicial pretrial publicity and protect her chances of a fair trial.

The attorney, Jeffrey Pagliuca, filed a letter in Manhattan federal court citing public comments made by Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss, the head of New York's FBI office and lawyers for accusers of British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell after her July 2 arrest in Bradford, New Hampshire.

He said the comments show that an order is necessary to prevent "prejudicial pretrial publicity by the government, its agents, and lawyers for alleged witnesses."


In particular, he cited comments at a news conference by William Sweeney, head of New York's FBI office, that referenced Maxwell as "one of the villains in this investigation" and compared her to a snake that "slithered away to a gorgeous property in New Hampshire."

Prosecutors declined through a spokesperson to comment on the gag order request.

The request came on the same day that publicity in Maxwell's favour came during a White House news conference when President Donald Trump was asked about her and said: "I just wish her well, frankly."
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Trump also said of Maxwell: "I've met her numerous times over the years, especially since I lived in Palm Beach, and I guess they lived in Palm Beach. But I wish her well."

Prince Andrew And His Dodgy Friendships With Epstein, Gaddafi's Son & Kazakh Billionaire
1/5

The Duke of York, Prince Andrew, has found himself in hot water over his friendships with dictators, fixers, and even a convicted paedophile.



Known for dating models and actresses, Britain’s Prince Andrew, who had earned himself the nickname “party prince”, is in trouble over links to the now deceased American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and accusations of paedophilia. It would be far from the first time the 59-year-old has courted controversy. In the past, the Duke of York, eighth in line to the crown, has made headlines, mostly for some dodgy friendships.



(Image: AP)

The Duke of York, Prince Andrew, has found himself in hot water over his friendships with dictators, fixers, and even a convicted paedophile.Known for dating models and actresses, Britain’s Prince An..
Read More
Saif, the second son of Muammar Gaddafi and once seen as the heir apparent to the Libyan dictator, was the suave, English-speaking, reformist face of the Libyan regime. However, following the revolution in 2011, he was also being accused of using lethal force on protesters, torture, enslavement and crimes against humanity. He was also allegedly friends with Prince Andrew. And though the royal family denied this as being the case, a report in Daily Mail quoted sources as saying that the Prince met Gaddafi in Libya in 2008, and privately on two other occasions. The scandal broke in 2011, just as the royal family was preparing for the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, and there were talks that Andrew’s links to Gaddafi — and a string of other notorious Middle East tycoons — might result in him being stripped of his title and duties.

(Image: http://ronpaulinstitute.org)
Saif, the second son of Muammar Gaddafi and once seen as the heir apparent to the Libyan dictator, was the suave, English-speaking, reformist face of the Libyan regime. However, following the revolut..
Read More
Among the Duke of York’s responsibilities was to be UK’s trade representative, and Andrew exploited this luxury travel to a point that he was called ‘Air Miles Andrew’ in the media. Among the many people he met was the Azerbaijan president who was accused of several human rights violations. These meetings included a formal lunch at the Buckingham Palace and four meetings at the annual Davos forum. Andrew also visited Baku just weeks after a highly disputed election in 2010. There were also talks that he may have business interests in the oil-rich country, including a golf resort off the Caspian Sea, although the palace denied these reports.

(Image: Reuters)
Among the Duke of York’s responsibilities was to be UK’s trade representative, and Andrew exploited this luxury travel to a point that he was called ‘Air Miles Andrew’ in the media. Among the many pe..
Read More
In 2007, Andrew sold his house, valued at 12 million pounds, for 15 million pounds. Good business? Maybe, but at the same time as the sale, the Prince was also representing British businesses in Kazakhstan. And the person who happened to purchase his house was Kazakh businessman Timur Kulibayev. In fact, reports in the media even said Andrew went goose hunting with Kulibayev’s father-in-law, then Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev. The reports said Andrew’s role was to act as a “fixer” in a business deal, and he stood to make nearly four million pounds for his efforts.

(Image: https://olympic.kz)
In 2007, Andrew sold his house, valued at 12 million pounds, for 15 million pounds. Good business? Maybe, but at the same time as the sale, the Prince was also representing British businesses in Kaza..
Read More
None of these friendships were as damaging to Andrew as his relationship with businessman financier Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew said he met Epstein for the first time in 1999 through the latter’s girlfriend, whom he had known since university. The two vacationed together in the Caribbean, while Epstein was also a guest at a party hosted by the Queen. Andrew told the BBC recently that he saw Epstein three times a year. He also admitted that it was wrong of him to stay at Epstein’s house in 2010, but didn’t regret their entire friendship.

Epstein was accused of paying minor girls to perform sex acts at his mansion. He spent 13 months in prison for soliciting a minor for prostitution, and was also charged with sex trafficking and conspiracy. He would have been sentenced to 45 years in prison if convicted, but he killed himself in July this year.

(Image: AP)
None of these friendships were as damaging to Andrew as his relationship with businessman financier Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew said he met Epstein for the first time in 1999 through the latter’s girlfr..
Read More
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Maxwell, 58, pleaded not guilty last week to charges that she recruited three girls, one as young as 14, in the 1990s for Epstein to sexually abuse during massage sessions she sometimes participated in at his Manhattan mansion and in Palm Beach, Florida; Santa Fe, New Mexico, and London.

Epstein, 66, took his life last August at a Manhattan federal jail while he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges related to the sexual abuse of girls and women in Manhattan and Florida in the early 2000s.

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Maxwell was ordered held without bail until a July 2021 trial by Judge Alison J. Nathan.

On Tuesday, Nathan issued a written order saying she had received a "significant number of letters and messages from non-parties that purport to be related to this case." She called them "procedurally improper or irrelevant" to the judicial proceedings and said they would be ignored.

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At a bail hearing last week, Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison Moe argued against bail by saying Maxwell had been less than forthcoming when she was interviewed by Pretrial Services.

"In addition to failing to describe in any way the absence of proposed cosigners of a bond, the defendant also makes no mention whatsoever about the financial circumstances or assets of her spouse whose identity she declined to provide," Moe said.

From Jeffrey Epstein To Harshad Mehta: Millionaires Who Died Behind The Bars
1/5

Incarceration can have unintended consequences. From Jeffrey Epstein (L) to Harshad Mehta (R), some big names have died behind bars.

Incarceration can have unintended consequences. From Jeffrey Epstein (L) to Harshad Mehta (R), some big names have died behind bars.

The well-connected New York financier, Epstein was found dead on August 10 in his Manhattan jail cell while awaiting a federal trial for sex traffi cking. The charge sheet accuses him of paying minor girls to perform sex acts at his mansion between 2002 and 2005. He was placed on suicide watch in July after he reportedly attempted to strangulate himself. His estate is worth approximately $500 million.

The well-connected New York financier, Epstein was found dead on August 10 in his Manhattan jail cell while awaiting a federal trial for sex traffi cking. The charge sheet accuses him of paying minor..
Read More

In June, Egypt’s first democratically-elected civilian president died in court — six years after he was forced out in a bloody coup. Morsi, a senior fi gure in the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood, was dressed in a beige jumpsuit, when he collapsed in a soundproof cage at the Cairo court where he was defending charges of espionage. The trial was briefly televised, but the authorities decided to cut the cord after Morsi warned that he had “many secrets” he could reveal. He was accused of spying for Qatar, killing protesters, spying for Hamas, and orchestrating jailbreaks during the revolution.

In June, Egypt’s first democratically-elected civilian president died in court — six years after he was forced out in a bloody coup. Morsi, a senior fi gure in the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood, was ..
Read More

Four days after his arrest from New Delhi’s Le Meridien Hotel, Pillai passed away in a cell in Tihar Jail. The official version, which has been contested by his wife, says he died of complications arising from liver cirrhosis. Pillai, who was a stakeholder in Britannia Industries, was charged by Singapore’s Commercial Affairs Department on 22 counts of fraud and breach of trust. He had taken a $17.2 million debt, which he was unable to service. Despite claiming to own Britannia, he owned just 3 per cent of its shares, with the rest managed through a complex web of interlinked companies. Pillai fl ed Singapore for his ancestral home in Kerala, obtaining bail against his extradition, following an Interpol red alert. However, his decision to travel to Delhi did not prove fortuitous. Pillai was arrested, and his appeal for medical treatment wasn’t processed on time.

Four days after his arrest from New Delhi’s Le Meridien Hotel, Pillai passed away in a cell in Tihar Jail. The official version, which has been contested by his wife, says he died of complications ar..
Read More

The Mumbai-based stockbroker, who gained notoriety for a Rs 4,000-crore securities fraud, died in 2001, aged 47. The scam shook the country and changed the rules of the game on Dalal Street. Mehta, who was lodged at Thane Central Jail, was rushed to a hospital after he complained of chest pain. He passed away shortly thereafter. Mehta, who had earned the nickname of the ‘Big Bull’, was accused of manipulating the Bombay Stock Exchange by taking advantage of loopholes in the banking system.

The Mumbai-based stockbroker, who gained notoriety for a Rs 4,000-crore securities fraud, died in 2001, aged 47. The scam shook the country and changed the rules of the game on Dalal Street. Mehta, w..
Read More
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