Longtime Jeffrey Epstein associate and socialite Ghislane Maxwell has pleaded not guilty to charges related to her alleged role in the sexual abuse of girls and young women by the late-financier.

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Longtime Jeffrey Epstein associate and socialite Ghislane Maxwell has pleaded not guilty to charges related to her alleged role in the sexual abuse of girls and young women by the late-financier.

Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images

Longtime Jeffrey Epstein associate and socialite Ghislaine Maxwell has pleaded not guilty to federal charges over her alleged role in procuring girls and young woman for sexual abuse by financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Maxwell faces charges that include conspiring to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts and enticing a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts. She entered her plea at a video court hearing Tuesday.

During the hearing, U.S. District Court Judge Alison Nathan ordered Maxwell to be detained pending trial.

Prosecutors have argued against granting bail for Maxwell, who was arrested by the FBI on July 2. They said in a recent court filing that she “poses an extreme risk of flight” and “no conditions of bail could reasonably assure her continued appearance in this case.” They cited her apparent wealth, opaque finances and skill at hiding from law enforcement.

Most of the charges included in the six-count indictment stem from a period in the 1990s when prosecutors say Maxwell helped find and groom girls and young woman for abuse by Epstein.

Maxwell has previously those denied allegations, including in sworn testimony in a 2016 deposition. Now, she faces two counts of perjury over her testimony to prosecutors.

After Epstein’s arrest in 2019 – and death about a month later – Maxwell’s whereabouts have been a source of speculation.

However, federal agents said they have kept tabs on Maxwell, and recently tracked her down to New Hampshire. William F. Sweeney Jr., assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York Field Office, recently said she had continued “to live a life of privilege while her victims live with the trauma inflicted upon them years ago.”

NPR’s Ryan Lucas contributed to this report.