Financier Jeffrey Epstein will have to sit in jail until later this week to find out if he can serve under house arrest at his $77 million Upper East Side mansion while he awaits trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
Epstein had a bail hearing on Monday, during which a federal judge said he needed more time to make his decision on the matter of bail, according to the Associated Press. He will remain in jail in the meantime.
Prosecutors have characterized Epstein as a flight risk given his wealth, international contacts and access to private planes. Epstein’s attorneys have said he hasn’t committed any crimes since his 2008 guilty plea to soliciting a minor for prostitution charges and that he should be allowed to stay in his 21,000-square-foot home at 9 East 71st Street on the Upper East Side under house arrest as he awaits trial.
His home is one of New York City’s largest private residences and is estimated to be worth $77 million. The federal justice department hopes to seize it following his arrest on charges of federal sex trafficking. [AP] – Eddie Small