Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend and long-time associate of Jeffry Epstein was arrested Thursday July 2, 2020 on criminal charges liked to his sex-trafficking operation, according to a law enforcement official. Maxwell was Epstein’s closest confidante who had not been seen in public since his death. She was arrested at 8:30 a.m. in Bradford, New Hampshire on charges brought by the Southern District of New York.
Ghislaine Maxwell is the daughter of the late and disgraced British media tycoon, Robert Maxwell. She social mixed with the global elite, forging bonds with the Clintons (She attended Chelsea Clinton’s wedding in 2010, as in the photo below).
Ghislaine Maxwell was accused in an indictment of helping Epstein "recruit, groom and ultimately abuse" multiple girls, including one as young as 14. Maxwell also faces perjury charges. Her arrest came nearly a year after Epstein charged in a federal indictment with sexually exploiting and abusing dozens of underage girls at his mansion in Manhattan, his estate in Palm Beach, FL, his ranch in Santa Fe, NM and his personal residence in London, England. The arrest was first reported by NBC News.
For years, Maxwell had also been accused of helping to procure and grow young girls for Epstein, also instructing them on how to 'pleasure' him. Some civil lawsuits have accused Maxwell of managing a network of recruiters that Epstein relied on to entice young and often financially strapped girls and women into his scheme, promising he would help them with their education and careers. When Epstein offered to pay for travel and educational opportunities for some of the girls, Maxwell encouraged them to accept his assistance, according to the indictment. The indictment stated, "Victims were made to feel indebted and believed that Maxwell and Epstein were trying to help them."
The federal indictment unsealed on Thursday in the Southern District of New York, charged Maxwell with six counts: enticing minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, transportation of a minor with intent to engage in sexual activity, two conspiracy counts related to those charges and two counts of perjury.
The indictment described three instances between 1994 and 1997 of Maxwell befriending girls, taking them shopping and to the movies. After establishing a rapport with the girls, Maxwell would "normalize sexual abuse" by undressing in front of them or talking about sexual topics, the indictment said.
The indictment refers to three survivors, including Minor Victim-1 who was 14 when she met Maxwell. The socialite allegedly groomed the victim from 1994 to 1997 and involved her “in group sexualized massages of Epstein.” Epstein and Maxwell transported the girl to residences in New York and Florida, prosecutors say. The couple abused Minor Victim-2 in New Mexico in 1996. (This accusation mirrors the story of Annie Farmer, who was flown to Epstein’s ranch alone.) A third victim was “groomed and befriended” by Maxwell in London between 1994 and 1995, according to prosecutors.
In 2009, Maxwell was identified as a recruiter for Epstein in a lawsuit filed by Giuffre, who was then identified only as Jane Doe 102. The suit was one of many filed by victims after Epstein’s 2007 sweetheart deal with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami. While cops found Epstein molested dozens of girls, Epstein pleaded guilty to two state charges and served only 13 months in jail, mostly on work release
Giuffre went public in an interview with the Daily Mail in 2011, and again accused Maxwell of facilitating her sexual encounters with Epstein and Prince Andrew. She told the tabloid that when she was 18, Epstein hinted she was “too old” for him, and that he and Maxwell once suggested Giuffre have Epstein’s child. “They said I would have to sign a contract relinquishing rights to the child and consenting to Jeffrey having as many relationships as he liked,” Giuffre told the Mail. “It was a smack in the face.”
Maxwell is a defendant in at least three pending lawsuits, including those filed by Annie Farmer and Jennifer Araoz. Jane Doe’s lawsuit claims the socialite “helped supply [Epstein] with a steady stream of young and vulnerable girls—many of whom were fatherless, like Jane Doe, and came from struggling families.”
According to Araoz’s complaint, Maxwell hired the young recruiter who approached Araoz outside her school and “oversaw the process that lead to the recruitment and grooming of” Araoz for Epstein. Maxwell is believed to have contacted Araoz directly to arrange visits to the Upper East Side mansion, the lawsuit says.
“Today, my fellow Epstein survivors and I are able to take a breath of relief, as Maxwell’s arrest means some justice for survivors can exist,” Araoz said in a statement. “For years, I feared Epstein and his ring. Maxwell was the centre of that sex trafficking ring. Now that the ring has been taken down, I know that I can’t be hurt anymore. Day after day, I have waited for the news that Maxwell would be arrested and held accountable for her actions. Her arrest is a step in that direction, and it truly means that the justice system didn’t forget about us.”
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