Charlie Javice, the Frank founder convicted of defrauding JPMorgan Chase, is seeking to remove her GPS ankle bracelet as her fraud appeal continues, citing “health matters” in a court filing this spring.
Javice has worn the electronic monitor since March 2025, when a federal jury found her guilty of using wildly inflated customer data to trick JPMorgan into acquiring her student financial aid startup for $175 million. She was sentenced in September 2025 to 85 months in prison and has remained free on $2 million bail while appealing her conviction.
Her latest bid to shed the ankle monitor came in late April 2026, according to court filings. Defense lawyers argued that Javice has maintained perfect compliance with her bail conditions and that her probation officer now supports removal of the device. “Accordingly, she has endured the GPS ankle monitor for more than a year,” her attorney, Ronald Sullivan, wrote to the judge.
This is not Javice’s first attempt. In late 2024, before her trial, her legal team argued that the bracelet interfered with her work as a Pilates instructor in South Florida. A judge initially agreed and removed it, but ordered it back on after her March 2025 conviction. The current request drops the Pilates argument and instead emphasizes her “pressing personal and health matters” and the judge’s own earlier statement that he was “convinced that she will not flee, that her life is here.”
Federal prosecutors are fighting the removal. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has signaled opposition, citing Javice’s dual U.S.-French citizenship and the lack of an extradition treaty between the United States and France—a concern raised repeatedly during bail arguments and at her sentencing. Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who presided over her trial, gave prosecutors until May 19, 2026 to file a formal response to her request.
Javice’s appeal of her conviction is ongoing. She filed a notice of appeal in November 2025, and in March 2026, Hellerstein rejected her motion for a new trial, dismissing claims that his two former law clerks had conflicts of interest. Her case has drawn comparisons to other high-profile fintech fraud cases, including that of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos, and has become entangled in a broader legal battle over JPMorgan’s obligation to pay her mounting legal bills—a dispute that has already topped $140 million.
Sources
- Business Insider — Charlie Javice’s April 2026 ankle bracelet removal request, her bail status, and the May 19 prosecution response deadline
- Department of Justice — Javice’s sentencing to 85 months, her conviction on conspiracy, wire fraud, bank fraud, and securities fraud charges
- Reuters — Judge Hellerstein’s March 2026 rejection of Javice’s motion for a new trial
- CourtListener — Javice’s November 2025 notice of appeal filing
- The New York Times — Javice’s initial ankle monitor argument tied to her Pilates work
