Ghislaine Maxwell arrested by FBI: Jeffrey Epstein’s former girlfriend charged with alleged sex crimes
Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged “madam” Ghislaine Maxwell could be locked up in the same jail where the disgraced billionaire killed himself.
Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged “madam” Ghislaine Maxwell could be locked up in the same jail where the disgraced billionaire killed himself.
On Thursday, Maxwell, 58, faced a New York City judge remotely after prosecutors accused her of building a rapport with girls as young as 14 before allegedly helping Epstein to sexually exploit them.
Earlier, she was arrested in New Hampshire for allegedly luring girls as young as 14 years old to a number of Epstein’s residences – including his mansions in New York City and Florida.
Prosecutors said investigators found her “hiding” on a 156-acre property she bought in cash back in December 2019.
Maxwell and her attorney Lawrence Vogelman faced the Concord courtroom via video link shortly after 3.30 pm for 20-minutes, after agreeing to a remote hearing.
Magistrate Judge Andrea Johnstone told Maxwell she would be temporarily detained and “transported to the charging district” – the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) – where hearings would begin accordingly.
She will either be held overnight in a local jail or transported immediately back to the Big Apple unless the New Hampshire judge there releases her on bail.
If she’s brought to New York, she would be transferred to either the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in Lower Manhattan or the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, Bloomberg reported, citing legal experts.
The MCC is where Epstein was found hanging in his cell ahead of his sex-trafficking trial after being charged with the sex trafficking of minors.
Ms Maxwell, 58, lived with Epstein for years and was his former girlfriend. An indictment filed in a New York court showed that the charges include conspiracy to entice minors to travel in order to engage in illegal sex acts, transportation of minors for criminal sexual activity and perjury.
Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Audrey Strauss, said Ms Maxwell’s arrest came after she allegedly helped Jeffrey Epstein sexually assault and abuse multiple minor girls from 1994 to 1997.
“You will recall that the indictment against Jeffrey Epstein charged Epstein with sexual abuse from 2002 through 2005,” she said in a press conference on Thursday. “This case against Ghislaine Maxwell is the prequel to the earlier case.”
“Starting in 1994 until at least 1997, Maxwell had a personal and professional relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Maxwell was among Epstein’s closest associates and helped him exploit girls who were as young as 14 years old.”
“Maxwell played a critical role in helping Epstein to identify, befriend and groom minor victims for abuse,” she said adding that Ms Maxwell also particpated in the abuse in some cases.
Ms Strauss described how the pair had a “method” in which “typically” Ms Maxwell would befriend young women by taking them to the movies and shopping, encouraging them to accept Epstein’s offers of travel.
“After developing a rapport with the victims Maxwell then tried to normalise sexual abuse with a minor victim through a process known as grooming.”
She alleged Ms Maxwell would discuss sexual topics with the women and undress in front of them, helping to put them at ease and leaving them “susceptible to sexual abuse”. This abuse included sexualised massages and sexual encounters which she “sometimes participated in” Ms Strauss said.
Ms Strauss said the couple “worked together” to entice victims to travel to Epstein’s homes in New York city, Santa Fe, New Mexico and Palm Beach, Florida. Some of the abuse is also alleged to have taken place at Maxwell’s home in London.
MORE: Epstein accusers slam Prince Andrew’s lack of co-operation
She “compounded her crimes by repeatedly lying under oath,” Ms Strauss said. “Maxwell lied because the truth as alleged, was almost unspeakable.”
“Maxwell enticed minor girls, got them to trust her and then delivered them into the trap that she and Epstein had set for them.”
“She pretended to be a woman they could trust. All the while she was setting them up to be sexually abused by Epstein and in some cases by Maxwell herself.”
Assistant director of the office, Bill Sweeney, descibed her as one of the “villains” of the investigation” who had been sought for many months by the agency.
He said they had recently got wind Maxwell had “slithered away to a gorgeous property in New Hampshire [where she was] continuing to live a life of privilige. We moved when we were ready and Ms Maxwell was arrested without incident.”
MORE: Virginia Giuffre takes aim at Prince Andrew’s social circle
‘ABSOLUTE RUBBISH’: MAXWELL DENIES CLAIMS
Ms Maxwell is the daughter of British publishing magnate Robert Maxwell and has denied any knowledge of Esptein’s sexual misconduct, calling some of the claims against her “absolute rubbish.”
In March, she launched a lawsuit against Epstein’s estate, seeking compensation for legal fees and security costs incurred by her association with Epstein.
In it she said she had “had no involvement in or knowledge of Epstein’s alleged misconduct.”
Ms Maxwell has been accused by multiple women of recruiting them to give Epstein massages, during which they were pressured into sex.
One of Epstein’s alleged victims, Virginia Giuffre, has accused Ms Maxwell of recruiting her as a masseuse to the financier at the age of 15. Those accusations had never resulted in criminal charges until now.
Ms Giuffre has also accused Prince Andrew of having sex with her while she was under age.
Prince Andrew has repeatedly denied doing anything wrong or having sex with Ms Giuffre. He has also denied any knowledge of wrongdoing by Jeffrey Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell.
Epstein, 66, died in a New York prison cell in August while awaiting trial for one count of sex trafficking conspiracy and one count of sex trafficking. He faced up to 45 years in prison if found guilty.
Two of the guards tasked with monitoring him now face federal charges over allegations they did not properly supervise him before his death.
Epstein was convicted in Florida in 2008 of paying young girls for massages but served just 13 months in jail under a secret plea deal struck with the then state prosecutor.
While his death was ruled a suicide, it has also fuelled conspiracy theories, mostly speculating he was murdered to stop him revealing compromising information about wealthy acquaintances.
Ms Maxwell is reported to have previously been seen in Paris just days before France went into lockdown in March but her whereabouts have largely been unknown since July 2019 when Epstein was arrested.
Earlier this year a New York judge took the unusual step of allowing her to be served with a new lawsuit by email, according to a federal court filing.
Lawyers for one of Epstein’s accusers, Annie Farmer, had complained that they had been trying to find Ms Maxwell since November to no avail.
Judge Freeman acknowledged that Ms Farmer’s legal team had “adequately demonstrated that personal service would be impracticable” and ordered Maxwell to be served by email and through her lawyers representing her in a lawsuit involving another key Epstein accuser, Virginia Giuffre.
Prince Andrew has previously spoken about his fondness for Ms Maxwell, saying he had been introduced to Epstein by her.
He said Epstein attended a lavish Windsor ball, the Dance of the Decades, which celebrated four royal birthday’s as Ms Maxwell’s “plus one”.
He also shocked the world by giving an interview to Newsnight in which he described Epstein’s conduct as “unbecoming”. When host Emily Maitlis pointed out he was a “sex offender”, Prince Andrew later condemned his actions but was forced to step back from royal duties following backlash over his comments.
US prosecutors want to speak to the prince about his relationship with Epstein but have accused him of being uncooperative.
His legal team have denied this and blamed US agencies for leaking information to the media and undermining trust in the process.
– with AP
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