BY KAREN FREIFELD, MARK HOSENBALL AND SARAH N. LYNCH
Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend and longtime associate of the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, was arrested in New Hampshire on Thursday on U.S. charges of luring underage girls so that Epstein could sexually abuse them.
The arrest of the British socialite adds another twist in the mystery of Epstein, whose high-flying lifestyle included private Caribbean islands and powerful connections that his victims say allowed him to abuse minors with impunity.
Maxwell, 58, was arrested in Bradford, New Hampshire, according to the FBI.
She is charged with four counts related to procuring and transporting minors for illegal sex acts and two counts of perjury, according to the indictment by federal prosecutors in New York.
“Maxwell was among Epstein’s closest associates and helped him exploit girls who were as young as 14 years old,” said acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss. “Maxwell played a critical role in helping Epstein to identify, befriend and groom minor victims for abuse. In some cases, Maxwell participated in the abuse herself.”
She could face a potential life sentence, even if she pleads guilty, according to Mark Allenbaugh, the co-founder of Sentencing Stats, LLC and a former staffer with the U.S. Sentencing Commission.
Epstein was awaiting trial on federal charges of trafficking minors between 2002 and 2005 when he was found hanged in an apparent suicide while in a New York City jail in August. Previously, he pleaded guilty in Florida to state charges of solicitation of prostitution from a minor in a 2008 deal with prosecutors that was widely criticized as too lenient.
The indictment accuses Maxwell of luring the girls beginning in 1994 through 1997 by asking them about their lives, schools and families and taking them shopping or to movies.
Strauss called Maxwell’s alleged acts “the prequel” to Epstein’s abuse.
After Maxwell won the girls’ trust, the indictment alleges, she would try to “normalize sexual abuse” by discussing sexual topics or by undressing in front of them or being present when they were undressed.
The indictment alleges that Maxwell was well aware of Epstein’s preference for minor girls and that he intended to sexually abuse them. Epstein’s alleged abuse included touching their genitals, placing sex toys on their genitals and having the girls touch Epstein while he masturbated.
Maxwell also encouraged the young girls to massage Epstein, and in some cases, the victims were partially or fully nude during the massages, according to the indictment.
Strauss said the abuse took place at Epstein’s homes in London, New York and Palm Beach, Florida.
PROSECUTORS SEEK ANSWERS
Epstein has been linked socially to numerous powerful figures, from President Donald Trump to former President Bill Clinton and Britain’s Prince Andrew.
“We would welcome Prince Andrew coming in to talk with us,” Strauss said.
In June, then-U.S. Attorney for Manhattan Geoffrey Berman said Prince Andrew was evading their efforts to question him about his contacts with Epstein. Berman was fired later the same month.
Andrew has publicly stated he will cooperate with any appropriate law enforcement agency. Buckingham Palace referred a request for comment to Andrew’s lawyers, who could not be reached immediately for comment.
U.S. Attorney General William Barr said in June there were no plans to extradite Andrew.
Maxwell was due in federal court in Concord, New Hampshire, on Thursday where prosecutors planned to ask a judge to deny bail, calling her “an extreme risk of flight.”
A lawyer who represented Maxwell in civil litigation did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“For years, I feared Epstein and his ring,” Jennifer Araoz, who has accused Maxwell of trafficking her for Epstein, said in a statement. “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.”
Maxwell, the daughter of late British media magnate Robert Maxwell, has kept a low profile since Epstein’s death.
Maxwell was an Epstein ex-girlfriend who became a longtime member of his inner circle. In a 2003 Vanity Fair article, Epstein was quoted as saying Maxwell was his “best friend.”
Since Epstein’s arrest and death last year, questions have arisen over how he built his vast wealth, which included two privately owned Caribbean islands, multiple homes and one of the largest mansions in Manhattan.
