Ghislaine Maxwell helped Jeffrey Epstein prepare girls from the age of 14 from 1994 to 1997, prosecutors say
New York:
British socialist Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested on Thursday in the United States and charged with minors for the purpose of sex trafficking for her former boyfriend the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Maxwell, whose place of detention was unknown after Epstein’s suicide pending trial last summer, faces six counts related to his sex crimes.
FBI agents arrested the daughter of late Baron Robert Maxwell “without incident” in Bradford, New Hampshire, at 8:30 am (1:30 pm GMT), Kristen Setera, spokesperson for the agency’s Boston office, told AFP .
She is scheduled to appear in New Hampshire court later today.
A New York Southern District spokesperson, investigating whether Epstein had accomplices, said she was charged “for her role in the sexual exploitation and abuse of several underage girls by Jeffrey Epstein” .
A copy of the indictment filed with a New York court showed that the charges related to conspiracies to induce minors to travel for the purpose of engaging in illegal sexual acts, the transportation of minors for criminal sexual activity and perjury.
Prosecutors allege that Maxwell helped Epstein prepare 14-year-old girls between 1994 and 1997.
He says she would befriend them by taking them shopping or to the movies. After making a connection, she would lead them to give Epstein nude massages during which they were sexually abused.
“In some cases, Maxwell was present and participated in the sexual abuse of underage victims,” said the indictment.
She could be sentenced to life if found guilty.
Epstein, 66, was arrested in July 2019. He hanged himself at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan on August 10 of last year while awaiting trial for trafficking minors for sexual purposes. He had pleaded not guilty.
Several of his accusers said Maxwell, 58, maintained a network of girls to offer sexual favors to Epstein, a registered sex offender who had connections with the wealthy and famous.
The allegations sparked a tabloid frenzy to try to find her, amid rumors that she had fled to Israel or France.
The English socialite is a long-time friend of Prince Andrew and is known to have introduced the British royal to Epstein, the two becoming friends.
US prosecutors want to talk to the prince about his relationship with Epstein but accused him of not cooperating. He denies it.
Andrew, 60, also vehemently denies allegations that he had sex with a 17-year-old girl procured by Epstein.
Virginia Giuffre alleges that she was trafficked for sexual purposes with friends of Epstein. She says she slept with the prince in Maxwell’s house in central London in 2001.
– Prosecutions –
The second son of Queen Elizabeth II was forced to retire from frontline royal office after being outraged by an interview with the BBC late last year in which he defended his friendship with Epstein.
Epstein was a multimillionaire hedge fund manager who has befriended countless celebrities over the years, including U.S. President Donald Trump.
Epstein was charged with one count of child sex trafficking and another of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors.
He faced up to 45 years in prison if found guilty.
Determined to obtain justice despite his death, dozens of women who say they were mistreated by Epstein continued his estate.
In March, Maxwell also brought an action against his estate to obtain compensation for the legal and security costs incurred by his association with Epstein.
In it, she said she “had no involvement or knowledge of Epstein’s alleged misconduct”.
Epstein was convicted in Florida in 2008 for paying young girls for massages, but only served 13 months in prison under a secret plea agreement with the then prosecutor.
Although his death was deemed suicide, it also fueled conspiracy theories, mainly speculating that he was murdered to prevent him from revealing compromising information about wealthy acquaintances.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
