Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's Former 'Confidante', Has Been Arrested
Ghislaine Maxwell is charged with conspiracy to sexually abuse minors
The former “confidante” of Jeffrey Epstein, socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, was arrested by the FBI this morning in New Hampshire and charged with conspiracy to sexually abuse minors. She’s expected to appear in federal court later today.
According to the indictment, “Maxwell assisted, facilitated, and contributed to Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse of minor girls by, among other things, helping Epstein to recruit, groom, and ultimately abuse victims known to Maxwell and Epstein to be under the age of 18.” The crimes she’s charged with occurred between 1994-1997, and the victims involved were allegedly as young as 14.
Maxwell is also accused of enticing “minor victims to travel to Epstein’s residences in different states, which Maxwell knew and intended would result in their grooming for and subjection to sexual abuse.” The indictment also alleges that in 2016, Maxwell “provided false and perjurious statements, under oath, regarding, among other subjects, her role in facilitating the abuse of minor victims by Jeffrey Epstein.”
Epstein was a registered sex offender who was on exceedingly friendly terms with members of royal families worldwide, past presidents, our current president, dignitaries, and other high-ranking global officials. He was arrested last summer on new federal charges of exploiting dozens of underage girls in New York and Florida in the early 2000s.
He attempted suicide in custody in late July, and then died after another suicide attempt in last August. Two of the guards tasked with monitoring Epstein now face federal charges for not properly supervising him before his death. The day before his suicide, however, a federal appeals court released the transcript of a 2016 deposition in which Epstein repeatedly refused to admit whether Maxwell had sought out and obtained young girls for him.
Maxwell is also currently facing multiple counts of perjury for allegedly lying in her own deposition about Epstein’s sexual activities. In addition to her arrest today, Maxwell is a defendant in at least three pending lawsuits that specifically name her as an accomplice to Epstein when it comes to “supplying [Epstein] with with a steady stream of young and vulnerable girls—many of whom were fatherless and came from struggling families,” per the Daily Beast. She was the one who allegedly orchestrated visits between teenage girls and Epstein, as well as Epstein’s powerful friends.
After Epstein’s arrest and death, Maxwell appeared to be keeping a low profile until her own arrest this morning. In a statement released today, Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse — who was previously involved in pushing the Justice Department to investigate Epstein’s lack of legal culpability — said he hopes Epstein and Maxwell’s victims get justice.
“Epstein got a crooked, sweetheart deal years ago that protected his coconspirators, like Maxwell,” he said. “Maxwell has been on the run for months because she too hoped to escape justice. We can’t let that happen again — her victims deserve their day in court.”
