← Back to home

Document 20-cr-00830-AJN Document 11

Full Text

Reform Act, Ms. Maxwell must be released unless there are "no conditions" that would reasonably assure her presence. Here, the proposed bail package - uniquely strengthened by Ms. Maxwell's agreement to renunicate her foreign citizenship and have assets monitored by a retired federal district court judge - satisfies the actual governing standard. To find there are absolutely no conditions to satisfy flight risk of a 59-year-old woman with no criminal history, who poses no danger to the community, who has made America her home for the past 30 years, and who has established strong roots and forged important connections with family and friends who reside here, is incredulous. The concerns regarding foreign citizenship and restraint of assets have been addressed. To say that renunciation of foreign citizenship and strict monitoring of assets by a retired federal district court judge does not suffice when combined with an eight-figure bond secured by real property and cash and the strictest terms of home confinement and electronic monitoring strains credulity. The government gains a strategic advantage each day Ms. Maxwell remains in custody - her case is tried daily in the court of public opinion based on allegations that are inadmissible in a court of law; the likelihood of seating jurors who are not implicitly biased against her is being severely jeopardized; her physical strength and concentration are becoming increasingly impaired by the conditions of her confinement; and she is being denied a full and fair opportunity to prepare her case for trial.8 8 Ms. Maxwell continues to experience difficulty reviewing electronic discovery, including discs that can only be reviewed on the MDC computer but are not readable on that computer, and thousands of pages still not readable on either the MDC computer or the laptop. Her receipt of legal mail - including pretrial motions, responses and replies - are constantly delayed even after tracking information confirms delivery to the MDC. The visiting rooms in the East Building, where Ms. Maxwell is detained, have been reviewed by an HVAC expert retained by the Federal Defenders of New York and have been characterized as a "death trap." The MDC claims it is in the process of installing HEPA filters, a request long overdue in light of concerns regarding ventilation in legal visiting rooms raised early in the pandemic. The alternative - to meet in the open-area where social visiting had been conducted-affords no privacy for confidential attorney-client communication, especially under constant oversight by Ms.