Ghislaine Maxwell Arrested by FBI in Connection to Jeffrey Epstein Investigation

Manori Ravindran
·2 min read

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Jeffrey Epstein’s long-time confidante and ex-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell has been arrested in connection with an investigation into the disgraced financier.

According to NBC News, which was first to report the news, the British national was arrested on Thursday morning. She was taken into custody and is expected to appear in federal court later Thursday.

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Citing sources, NBC News reports the socialite and heiress was arrested in Bedford, New Hampshire, on charges that she conspired with Epstein to sexually abuse minors. Maxwell has denied any knowledge of Epstein’s alleged sexual misconduct.

Earlier this year, she sued Epstein’s estate seeking to recoup legal fees and security costs tied to the investigation.

Epstein died in August after hanging himself in his jail cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan as he waited to stand trial on sex trafficking charges.

Manhattan federal prosecutors charged Epstein in July with sex trafficking of girls as young as 14 years old and collecting child pornography. He pled not guilty, but was denied bail after a judge determined he posed a significant flight risk. If convicted, he faced up to 45 years in prison.

Some of Epstein’s alleged victims, including Virginia Giuffre, have accused Maxwell of helping Epstein bring them into his circle, where they were later abused. According to the BBC, Giuffre alleged that Maxwell had recruited her as a masseuse to Epstein when she was 15 years old.

Separately, Guiffre has also accused British royal Prince Andrew, a former friend of Epstein’s, of having sex with her at one of Epstein’s parties when she was 17. He has denied the allegations, though the royal stepped back from public duties last year following his alleged involvement in the scandal.

Prince Andrew is currently embroiled in a battle with U.S. authorities over his willingness to cooperate and help the investigation into his former multimillionaire friend. U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman in June accused the royal of “repeatedly declining” requests for interview, despite Prince Andrew’s claims that he had thrice offered to provide a witness statement.

The Epstein case was recently the subject of Netflix docuseries “Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich,” directed by Lisa Bryant.

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