Jeffrey Epstein branded ‘a danger to the community’ and denied bail as lawyer claims sex trafficking allegations are ‘the tip of the iceberg’
JEFFREY Epstein has been branded a "danger to the community" - after judges refused the billionaire paedo's bail bid.
The shamed financier - nabbed this month with a fake passport - was locked up amid fears he would flee the country.
Sex trafficking evidence against the wealthy financier is said to be growing "stronger by the day," as Epstein was ordered to remain behind bars until his trial.
He was caught with piles of cash and a fake Saudi passport in his £60million Manhattan mansion that was raided by the FBI last week, prosecutors said in court on Monday.
Assistant US Attorney Alex Rossmiller noted the fake passport had only recently expired according to Courthouse News reporter Adam Klasfeld.
The passport, revealed to be one of the items found in the search, also listed Epstein's residence as being in Saudi Arabia, said Rossmiller.
FAKE PASSPORT
The passport, obtained by Epstein from a foreign government in the 1980s, is said to have his photo in it but under a different name, prosecutors revealed in court.
Judge Richard Berman ordered Epstein to remain behind bars on sex trafficking charges at the Manhattan Correctional Centre.
He said: "The government has established danger to others and to the community by clear and convincing evidence.
"I doubt that any bail package can overcome a danger to the community."
It came after prosecutor Sigrid McCawley said the current claims were "just the tip of the iceberg" and boasted that she had signed up four new clients since the perv's latest arrest.
Epstein's legal team pleaded with the judge to let the disgraced billionaire out of jail after saying he is held in solitary confinement.
Epstein's lawyers said: "We need him released, judge. This is an enormously challenging case for defence counsel."
In their rebuttal, prosecutors said: "Your honour, it's underage girls that are involved in this case, and it's underage girls that are the victims."
A prosecutor added that the case against the wealthy investor is “already significantly stronger and getting stronger every single day”.
HIDDEN ASSETS REVEALED
Federal prosecutors said on Monday that they just recently learned about more hidden assets following the search of Epstein's home, reported CNBC.
Those assets were in dozens of diamonds and art, which were discovered throughout his New York pad, according to Rossmiller.
There were also "piles of cash" found tucked away in Epstein's safe.
Rossmiller asked in court: "How much money does he have? Where is it?
"How much of it is in diamonds or art?"
The hidden assets keep emerging after FBI agents smashed into Epstein's luxurious £60million Manhattan mansion on Saturday before allegedly finding a stash of child abuse images in the billionaire’s safe.
The banker, 66, pleaded not guilty to an array of sex trafficking charges after prosecutors accused him of abusing girls as young as 14 in a "vast network of underage victims."
At a press conference, Manhattan US Attorney Geoffrey Berman said investigators “seized evidence including nude photographs of what appeared to be underage girls” while scouring the convicted paedophile's mansion over the weekend.
Agents busted into the 66-year-old’s Upper East Side townhouse as Epstein was arrested on sex trafficking charges at a New Jersey airport.
'THOUSANDS' OF NUDE IMAGES FOUND
Berman alleged they found “perhaps thousands” of photos of nude and half-nude females there — including images of “at least one girl who, according to her counsel, was underage at the time the relevant photographs were taken.”
In an indictment unsealed Monday, prosecutors said they want to seize the seven-floor Manhattan mansion, reported New York Post.
The legal indictment released yesterday details the charges against the financier.
It alleges that Epstein "sexually exploited and abused dozens of minor girls" at his homes in various locations.
The document claims the 66-year-old would pay girls "hundreds of dollars" to perform sex acts with him and would also pay certain victims "to recruit additional girls to be similarly abused."
'VAST ABUSE NETWORK'
It continues: "In this way, Epstein created a vast network of underage victims for him to sexually exploit in locations including New York and Palm Beach."
The indictment alleges that minors were paid to give the wealthy businessman massages which would typically involve him pleasuring himself.
It also claims officers found "nude photographs of what appeared to be underage girls" at his mansion.
Epstein would also sometimes attempt to touch the girls' genitals with his hands or sex toys, the court docs allege.
14 MORE ALLEGED VICTIMS
It comes as at least 14 more women, some of them underage, have come forward claiming to be victims of the billionaire alleged sex trafficker.
Attorney Jack Scarola said some were underage during their alleged encounters with the financier in New York and Florida.
Epstein, a former friend of Prince Andrew, has been refused bail.
His lawyers put up his £61million Manhattan mansion and private jet as surety but prosecutors claimed he was likely to try to flee.
Prosecutors have also alleged that Epstein tried to pay off witnesses with a £280,000 bribe to buy their silence.
The billionaire reportedly sent two witnesses money in late November and early December 2018 after a US paper started publishing allegations against the registered sex offender.
EPSTEIN'S ISLAND PROBED
Epstein's private Caribbean island has become the centre of a sex trafficking probe against him, amid claims underage girls were used as sex slaves and repeatedly abused inside a temple there.
The billionaire bought the island of Little St James more than two decades ago - transforming it into a high-security private oasis, complete with a mansion and a bizarre blue and white gold-domed structure.
MOST READ IN NEWS
To date, the island has remained Epstein’s main residence, but has been shrouded in mystery.
It's high security, secluded location and locally-known moniker as "Paedophile Island" has given rise to more sinister theories about its use.
Neighbouring islander Kevin Goodrich, who operates boat charters from nearby St Thomas, said: “Everybody called it ‘Paedophile Island' ... It’s our dark corner.”
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368. You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.