Jeffrey Epstein's Friend Ghislaine Maxwell Arrested by FBI in Sex Trafficing Probe

The ex-girlfriend and alleged accomplice of billionaire pedophile and sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein were arrested on July 2. According to the court documents, Ghislaine Maxwell was charged by New York federal prosecutors with six counts in connection with an ongoing federal investigation into Epstein's accomplices.

Epstein's accomplice

On July 2, a federal indictment for Maxwell was unsealed. She is charged with enticing minors to engage in illegal sexual acts, transporting minors with the intent to engage in illegal sexual activity and two counts of perjury.

The indictment stated that from 1994 to 1997, Maxwell assisted facilitated and contributed to Epstein's abuse of minors. She helped Epstein recruit, groom, and abuse girls under the age of 18. According to the indictment, the victims included girls as young as 14 years old, as reported by CNN.

Maxwell and Epstein are accused of luring minors to his residences, including his Palm Beach estate, Upper East Side mansion and his Santa Fe ranch, Maxwell's London residence was used as well. Maxwell was arrested in New Hampshire and according to court documents, she will make her appearance in court in the state.

Jeffrey S. Pagliuca, an attorney for Maxwell, did not immediately respond to a request for comment about his client's arrest. Maxwell disappeared after Epstein was arrested in 2019, but the Manhattan US Attorney's office still investigated her for her role in Epstein's recruitment of minors. Maxwell has also been named in the lawsuits filed by the victims of Epstein.

Before Epstein's alleged suicide in August 2019, he was charged for being the head of a massive sex trafficking ring that also involves politicians, millionaires, and celebrities. Epstein allegedly paid thousands of dollars in cash to his victims who were as young as 14 years old, only so that they will have sex with him.

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Epstein would usually bring the children to his Upper East Side home and his Palm Beach home. He also worked with accomplices so that he can lure more children into his residence and he also paid some of his victims so that they will recruit other girls, according to a report by The New York Times.

After Epstein's death, the public demanded authorities to arrest everyone who assisted him, including Maxwell. The public wanted to hold everyone accountable for the years of child abuse and rape. Maxwell previously denied being an accomplice and called one of the victims who accused her of abuse a "liar."

How Maxwell groomed children

However, according to the document, Maxwell was Epstein's right-wing and the main recruiter. Three victims came forward and accused Maxwell of grooming and abuse. The victims said that Maxwell will take them out shopping and hang out with them, as reported by the BBC.

As soon as they start to ease up to her, she would steer the conversation and slowly talk about sexual topics or would undress in front of them. Maxwell would encourage the minors to give Epstein massages, during with the girls were either fully or partially nude.

The indictment also stated that Maxwell would participate in those massages and it would sometimes develop into sexual encounters. In both the indictment of Epstein and Maxwell, the massages would result in abuse as it would include touching the genitals of the girls, using a sex toy on them, or directing a girl to touch Epstein while he masturbated in front of them.

From 1994 to 1997 the abuses happened in New York, Florida, New Mexico, and London. In charging Maxwell, federal prosecutors in New York may face a legal problem.

In 2007, Epstein signed a non-prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors in Florida that appeared to immunize four of his accomplices, although Maxwell is not listed, her lawyers may argue that she is covered by the phrase on the document that goes "but not limited to."