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Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's Alleged Procurer, Arrested By FBI On Sex Crimes Charges
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Jul 2, 2020
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By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Jul 2, 2020
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Ghislaine Maxwell, the former companion to Jeffrey Epstein and his alleged accomplice in a litany of sex crimes, was arrested Thursday on federal criminal charges.
The Southern District of New York unsealed the indictment on Thursday, charging Maxwell with four counts of sex crimes related to a minor and two counts of perjury.
Prosecutors allege that, for several years, Maxwell "assisted, facilitated, and contributed to Jeffrey Epstein's abuse of minor girls by, among other things, helping Epstein recruit, groom, and ultimately abuse victims."
The 58-year-old British socialite was taken into custody by FBI agents in New Hampshire early Thursday morning.
In a news conference on Thursday afternoon, Audrey Strauss, the acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District, alleged that Maxwell "enticed minor girls, got them to trust her, and delivered them into the trap that she and Epstein had set for them."
Maxwell, who was last seen in Paris, has long been described by Epstein's victims as his right-hand lieutenant, and an enabler who made the whole scheme possible.
The day before Epstein was found dead in his jail cell in August 2019, thousands of pages of damning court documents were released to the public, offering a closer look at Maxwell's alleged role in procuring teenage girls for Epstein to abuse.
According to the federal indictment, Maxwell helped groom girls as young as 14 for Epstein by befriending them and taking them on shopping trips. She would allegedly “normalize sexual abuse” by undressing in front of them, among other tactics.
The duo offered to pay for trips to Epstein's residences, and as a result "victims were made to feel indebted and believed that Maxwell and Epstein were trying to help them," according to court documents.
She allegedly sent sexually explicit photos to the young girls, enticing them to travel across state lines to various residences where Epstein would abuse them. Maxwell "was present for and involved in some of this abuse," prosecutors said.
The case focuses on three unnamed victims, whose abuse took place between the years of 1994 and 1997.
Maxwell is also facing an ongoing lawsuit from Jennifer Araoz, who claims that she directly arranged visits to Epstein's Upper East Side home, where Araoz was raped when she was 15.
Maxwell was charged with enticing minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts and transportation of a minor with intent to engage in sexual activity. She is also faces two counts of conspiracy and two counts of perjury related to a 2016 deposition.
"Maxwell lied because the truth as alleged was almost unspeakable," said U.S. Attorney Strauss.
A lawyer who has represented Maxwell in the past, Jeffrey S. Pagliuca, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Maxwell is expected to be arraigned virtually on Thursday.'
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Jake Offenhartz
Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.
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