Jeffrey Epstein has been denied bail. U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman announced the decision at a hearing just now, siding with prosecutors after they and defense attorneys traded arguments for more than a week about whether Epstein could be released to some sort of home confinement.

Epstein, 66, was arrested on July 6 after landing at New Jersey’s Teterboro Airport and charged with sex trafficking dozens of girls from 2002 to 2005. 

Apparently the judge gave credit to two accusers, Annie Farmer and Courtney Wild very courageously testified about Epstein’s tendency to tamper with, and threaten, witnesses and victims.

Epstein has pleaded not guilty to the new charges, which his attorneys have asserted are effectively an improper do-over of the old case. If Epstein had been granted bail, defense attorneys said, he would have been willing to put up his $77 million Manhattan mansion as collateral and agree to home confinement with 24/7 security that he would have funded.