Ghislaine Maxwell ‘extreme flight risk’, prosecutors say as they request Friday court appearance

Socialite and confidante of Jeffrey Epstein arrested last week on multiple counts of sex exploitation and abuse

US prosecutors have asked a judge to schedule a court appearance for Ghislaine Maxwell in New York on Friday, after labelling her an “extreme risk of flight”.

The British socialite and heiress, a former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein, was arrested on Thursday and charged with facilitating the billionaire's alleged sexual abuse of minors.

Ms Maxwell, 58, has been detained without bail after her arrest at a $1 million estate in Bradford, New Hampshire, and has agreed to be moved to New York.

Ms Maxwell, the daughter of the late media baron Robert Maxwell, is expected to be transported to New York early this week by the US Marshals Service, according to prosecutors.

In a written letter to a judge on Sunday, prosecutors, who have said they want Ms Maxwell to be jailed until trial, said they had communicated with her defence lawyer, Christian Everdell, who would like a bail hearing on Friday. An email seeking comment was sent to Everdell by the Associated Press.

Ms Maxwell will be arraigned at the hearing. Last week prosecutors outlined some of their arguments to keep Ms Maxwell detained before trial, such as her wealth, extensive international ties, and the likelihood of a lengthy prison sentence if convicted.

The indictment against her passed up by a grand jury in Manhattan, stated that she “assisted, facilitated, and contributed to Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse of minor girls by, among other things, helping Epstein to recruit, groom, and ultimately abuse the victims known to Maxwell and Epstein to be under the age of 18.”

The indictment also alleged some of the victims were as young as 14, with the abuse starting from “at least in or about” 1994 to about 1997.

Authorities said she sometimes hired girls to give him massages before joining as Epstein tried to engage the girls in sex acts.

“In some instances, Ms Maxwell was present for and participated in the sexual abuse of minor victims,” the indictment read.

Ms Maxwell could potentially serve up to 35 years in prison if she is found guilty of the charges against her.

The socialite has previously repeatedly denied wrongdoing and called some claims against her “absolute rubbish.”

Epstein killed himself while in Metropolitan Correctional Centre in New York City last year while awaiting trial on charges of sex-trafficking, according to the medical examiner.

The disgraced financiers’ case triggered a series of allegations against his friends, including Prince Andrew, who was accused in 2015 of sleeping with a then 17-year-old girl — a claim he has repeatedly denied.

The investigation surrounding Epstein will continue as the government seeks to hold anyone it finds aided him accountable, acting US Attorney Audrey Strauss told a news conference on Thursday.