Deemed dangerous, Epstein denied bail in sex abuse case

NEW YORK (WPIX) -- A judge denied bail for jailed financier Jeffrey Epstein on sex trafficking charges Thursday, saying the danger to the community that would result if the jet-setting defendant was free formed the “heart of this decision.”

Epstein, with his hands folded before him, showed no reaction to the announcement by U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman. His lawyers did not comment afterward.

The decision means Epstein will remain behind bars while he fights charges that he exploited dozens of girls in New York and Florida in the early 2000s.

“I doubt that any bail package can overcome danger to the community,” Berman said, citing a danger “certainly including the minor victims in this case and prospective victims as well.”

He noted the “compelling testimony” at Monday's bail hearing by Epstein accusers Annie Farmer and Courtney Wild, who “testified that they fear for their safety and the safety of others if Mr. Epstein were to be released.”

Wild, who said she was sexually abused by Epstein when she was 14 in Palm Beach, Florida, pleaded with the judge to keep him jailed.

“He's a scary person to have walking the streets,” Courtney Wild said during the Monday hearing.