Jeffrey Epstein has been denied bail and will remain in jail ahead of his trial on charges of sex trafficking of minors.

US District Judge Richard Berman rejected the defence's proposal that Epstein be allowed to remain under house arrest at his $77 million mansion in New York's Upper East Side.

Instead Epstein will be held at the Metropolitan Correctional Centre, a fortress-like jail in lower Manhattan that has been criticised by inmates and lawyers for harsh conditions. Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, who was there until Wednesday, described being kept there as "torture".

Prosecutors had urged Judge Berman to keep him there until his trial, saying he could use his vast wealth and connections to flee the United States. They pointed to a safe full of diamonds, piles of cash and an expired fake Saudi Arabian passport as evidence.

Epstein declared his wealth at $559 million, and told the court he had assets including a private jet, four homes and two private islands.