Ghislaine Maxwell charged with helping Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse girls as young as 14
Jeffrey Epstein’s ex-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell helped the dead pedophile sexually abuse girls as young as 14, prosecutors say. New York Southern District Prosecutor Audrey Strauss said Maxwell had undressed in front of Epstein’s victims, discussed sex with them, and would watch the late pedophile sexually abuse them – occasionally joining in the abuse – at his homes in New York, Florida, and London.
Strauss told reporters at a press conference Thursday that the charges against Maxwell spanned between 1994 and 1997, and were a prequel to the 2002 to 2005 allegations that Epstein had been charged with before killing himself last August. ‘prequel’ to the allegations
Strauss said ‘Starting in 1994, until at least 1997, Maxwell had a personal and professional relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
‘(Maxwell) was among this closest associate and helped him exploit girls that were as young as 14 years old. Maxwell played a critical role in helping identify, groom victims for abuse. In some cases Maxwell participated in the abuse hersel
‘Maxwell would discuss sexual acts with the victim, discuss sex acts, undress or be present. Her presence as an adult woman helps put the victim at ease.’ Strauss reiterated Maxwell’s alleged presence during some of the abuse – and pariticpation in other instances.
Maxwell, 58, was arrested by FBI agents an an address in Bedford, New Hampshire, at 8:30am EST Thursday.
She faces six conspiracy charges of conspiring to entice minors to engage in sex, and is set to appear in a federal court later on Thursday. Maxwell has also been charged with perjury over claims she lied to investigators about her crimes during an earlier interview.
The socialite and heiress, who is the daughter of the late British newspaper magnate Robert Maxwell, denies being a ‘fixer’ who procured underage girls for the billionaire pedophile to sexually abuse.
Epstein hanged himself in a Manhattan jail in August 2019 while awaiting charges for sex trafficking minors in New York and Florida. Prince Andrew has faced repeated questions over his friendship with Epstein.
The pedophile financier had previously been convicted of prostitution charges involving a minor in Florida in 2008 and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Maxwell has repeatedly been accused of helping Epstein find girls to work for him, and branded Epstein’s ‘Madam’ – claims she has repeatedly denied.
Former abuse victim Virginia Giuffre, who also claims she was made to have sex with Prince Andrew at the age of 17, told Newsnight last year that Maxwell had first offered her a job as a masseuse for Epstein.
Giuffre, who was previously known as Virginia Roberts, alleged that the couple then abused her from their very first encounter.
She said Maxwell later told her she had to ‘do for Andrew what I do for Jeffrey’ when she met the Duke of York in London.
Giuffre claims she and Andrew danced together at Tramp nightclub, in London, before having sex in March 2001. The Prince has strongly denied the claims.
Maxwell previous denounced Giuffre’s allegations as lies, prompting the latter to launch a defamation suit against her in 2015.
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