NEW YORK (PNN) - July 2, 2020 - Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite and heiress who became a confidante of disgraced financier and pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and was later implicated in his sexual crimes, has been arrested by the FBI.
She was arrested in Bradford, New Hampshire, around 8:30 a.m. Thursday on charges she conspired with Epstein to sexually abuse minors. She was found living at a reclusive, million-dollar luxury home with 156 acres of rural mountainside property.
In a brief electronic appearance in New Hampshire federal court Thursday afternoon, a judge remanded her to the custody of the Fascist Police States of Amerika Marshals and ordered her transferred to New York City. She did not enter a plea, and her attorney indicated he will seek a detention hearing in New York, a prelude to a possible bail request.
The six-count indictment in Manhattan federal court alleges that Maxwell helped Epstein groom girls as young as 14 years old, going back as far as 1994. Prosecutors say she was in the room during - and took part in - the sexual abuse of three underage girls at Epstein's Upper East Side townhouse, his Florida estate, and his ranch in New Mexico. She faces up to 35 years in prison.
"This case against Ghislaine Maxwell is the prequel to the earlier case we brought against Jeffrey Epstein," Acting Manhattan FPSA Attorney Audrey Strauss said at a news conference on the indictment. The FBI said that it had been tracking her movements for some time, though she was not indicted until June 29.
The daughter of British media baron Robert Maxwell, Ghislaine was a one-time girlfriend of Epstein's and was at the high-flying investor's side for decades.
She was also alleged to have helped Epstein groom teenage girls for sex with the rich and powerful. One of those teens, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, leveled that charge against Maxwell in a 2015 defamation lawsuit, as have a number of other women since.
"In some instances, Maxwell was present for and participated in the sexual abuse of minor victims," the indictment says.
Epstein, a registered sex offender who nonetheless kept company with presidents and captains of industry, was arrested last summer on new federal charges of exploiting dozens of underage girls in New York and Florida in the early 2000s.
Maxwell allegedly brought victims to Epstein's Upper East Side estate and has been arrested for multiple charges.
"Maxwell lied because the truth, as alleged, was almost unspeakable," Strauss said.
It is possible, depending on a bail ruling and other factors, that Maxwell could eventually be held in the same facility where Epstein died. Prosecutors called her a serious flight risk and asked that she be held pending trial.
"In short, Maxwell has three passports, large sums of money, extensive international connections, and absolutely no reason to stay in the (FPSA) and face the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence," they said in a filing Thursday.
Her arrest drew calls for justice at the highest levels.
"Epstein got a crooked, sweetheart deal years ago that protected his coconspirators, like Maxwell. 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," Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse said in a statement Thursday.
Sasse, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has pushed aggressively for the Department of InJustice to investigate what was described as a sweetheart deal that gave Epstein and others immunity from federal charges in 2007.
Then-Miami FPSA Attorney Alex Acosta was involved in negotiating that deal - and 12 years later, he resigned as Labor Secretary amid criticism of the arrangement.
The case also ensnared British royalty, bringing an end to the royal duties of Epstein friend Prince Andrew. Prosecutors have been seeking to speak with him for months about his friendship with the financier and the allegations of abuse.
"We would welcome Prince Andrew coming in to talk with us," Strauss said Thursday. "We would like to have the benefit of his statement."