A Manhattan federal judge on Thursday denied Jeffrey Epstein's request to be released on bail ahead of a trial on child sex trafficking and conspiracy charges, saying that the financier's penchant for sex with underage girls appeared to be “uncontrollable.”

In a written order posted late Thursday, U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman of the Southern District of New York stated the reasoning behind his ruling earlier in the day, which rejected a proposed bail package that would have allowed Epstein to wait out the trial at his townhouse on Manhattan's Upper East Side.

Berman cited the testimony of two Epstein accusers, as well as his vast resources and history of sexual misconduct, in determining that Epstein would pose a threat to the community if released.

“Mr. Epstein's alleged excessive attraction to sexual conduct with or in the presence of minor girls—which is said to include his soliciting and receiving massages from young girls and young women perhaps as many as four times a day—appears likely to be uncontrollable,” Berman wrote in a 33-page order.

“It seems fair to say that Mr. Epstein's future behavior will be consistent with past behavior,” he said.

Martin Weinberg, an attorney for Epstein, did not return messages Thursday seeking comment on the ruling, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York declined to comment.

Epstein, meanwhile, continued to be held at a Manhattan federal jail, where he has been housed since his July 6 arrest at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey.

Prosecutors allege that Epstein ran an underage sex ring out of his homes in Manhattan and in Florida, where he pleaded guilty to two prostitution charges in 2008 following a federal investigation into similar allegations of exploiting minors.

According to an indictment unsealed July 8, Epstein paid girls as young as 14 years old from 2002 to 2005 to perform nude or seminude massages, which became “increasingly sexual” in nature, with Epstein typically masturbating in front of and molesting his victims. Epstein, they said, would also pay his victims “hundreds of dollars” to recruit other young girls to the network, allowing him to create “an ever-expanding web of new victims.”

Epstein's attorneys last week proposed 14 possible conditions for his release, including the use of surveillance cameras, GPS monitoring, as well as deregistering his private jet and other forms of transportation to ensure that Epstein would appear for trial on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges.

His lawyers also said that Epstein, who faces up to 45 years in prison, would post a bond secured by his residence on East 71st Street, which they valued at roughly $55.9 million, and said his jet could be pledged as further collateral.

Berman, however, called those conditions “inadequate” to guarantee Epstein's appearance in court. Berman agreed with prosecutors' assessment that Epstein presented a “classic” flight risk.

“The Defendant's vast wealth and influential contacts have provided him with the means to pay individuals to assist him in unlawful endeavors, including potentially fleeing the jurisdiction,” he said.

Attorneys for the defense and prosecution were next expected to appear in court for a status conference July 31. |

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