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Finally, the government's argument that Ms. Maxwell could always flee to some country other than the United Kingdom and France holds her—and any defendant—to an impossible standard, which is not the standard under the Bail Reform Act. (See Gov. Mem. at 19). By the government's reasoning, no defendant with financial means to travel could be granted bail, because there would always be a possibility that they could flee to another country (even if they had no ties there), and there could never be an assurance that any extradition waiver would be enforced. However, “Section 3142 does not seek ironclad guarantees.” United States v. Chen, 820 F. Supp. 1205, 1208 (N.D. Cal. 1992). To the extent that Ms. Maxwell's ties to France and the United Kingdom—where she has not lived for nearly 30 years—create a flight risk, her extradition waivers along with the substantial bail package proposed reasonably cure it.8
E. The Recent COVID Surge at MDC Further Justifies Bail
The government suggests that the Court ignore COVID concerns because Ms. Maxwell, though quarantined because of contact with an officer who tested positive, did not become infected. This ignores the daily (sometimes multiple) inspections of Ms. Maxwell's mouth, which heightens her risk of contracting the deadly virus, which has now surged to 113 positive cases in the MDC. Further, Deputy Captain B. Houtz recently issued a memo stating that “[i]t has not been determined whether legal calls and legal visits will continue.” As the Court is well aware, legal visits with Ms. Maxwell already have been suspended. Should legal calls also be discontinued, her constitutional right to effective assistance of counsel will be further eroded.
CONCLUSION
For the foregoing reasons, Ms. Maxwell respectfully requests that the Court order her release on bail pursuant to the strict conditions she has proposed.
8 Any incentive Ms. Maxwell might have to flee to France has been greatly diminished by the recent arrest in France of Jean-Luc Brunel, who reportedly is under investigation for alleged sexual assaults by Jeffrey Epstein. See, e.g., France Details Modeling Agent in Jeffrey Epstein Inquiry, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/17/france-detains-modelling-agent-jean-luc-brunel-in-jeffrey-epstein-inquiry.
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