Ghislaine Maxwell to appear in court as fresh details of arrest emerge

More than 20 armed officers said to have taken part in raid leading to her detention at rural New Hampshire retreat

Ghislaine Maxwell, who is accused of grooming underage victims for sexual abuse by the disgraced US financier Jeffrey Epstein, is scheduled to appear in a New York court this week as fresh details emerge of her arrest in an FBI raid.

More than 20 armed agents and police are reported to have taken part in the early-morning operation on Thursday that led to her being handcuffed at her secluded, rural retreat in New Hampshire and taken into custody.

Continue reading...

High society to hideaway arrest: Ghislaine Maxwell’s dramatic fall

For years she was at the centre of a web of influence but this week Jeffrey Epstein’s former girlfriend will appear in a New York court

For a party girl with no parties left to attend, Ghislaine Maxwell’s 20-mile journey from her mountain hideaway in Bradford, New Hampshire, to Merrimack county jail was the brutal, cinematic finale to a social highlife that stretched across decades and continents.

Taken by surprise at 8.30am last Thursday, and accompanied by officers from at least six US law enforcement agencies, the 58-year-old was taken to the medium-security facility and later arraigned via audio-only video conference, accused of luring underage girls, one as young as 14, for her former boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse.

Continue reading...

Ghislaine Maxwell will not say anything about Prince Andrew, says friend

Laura Goldman says she expects Maxwell to seek plea deal over charges relating to exploitation of young girls

Ghislaine Maxwell would never say anything about the Duke of York’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, according to one of her friends.

Maxwell appeared in court in the US on Thursday accused of helping disgraced financier Epstein “identify, befriend and groom” multiple girls, including one as young as 14.

Continue reading...

What’s next for Ghislaine Maxwell – and will she cooperate with prosecutors?

Avoiding a lengthy prison sentence is incentive to cooperate, but may be difficult given her high-up position

While Ghislaine Maxwell’s arrest Thursday in relation to her confidant Jeffrey Epstein’s sex crimes answered some questions about her life – revealing, for example, that she hid at a sprawling, million-dollar New Hampshire estate, where she was picked up in a morning raid – still more questions arose about what’s next for the mysterious British socialite.

Related: Prince Andrew under pressure after arrest of Ghislaine Maxwell

Continue reading...

Prince Andrew’s silence is a ‘torture test’ for Epstein’s alleged victims, says lawyer

Pressure grows on Duke of York to ‘speak up’ after the arrest of his friend Ghislaine Maxwell

The Duke of York was accused of subjecting alleged victims of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein to a “torture test” by his silence as lawyers for the women increased the pressure following the arrest of Ghislaine Maxwell.

As Maxwell, 58, remained in custody on charges of facilitating former boyfriend Epstein’s sexual exploitation of underage girls, lawyers for multiple women demanded Prince Andrew “be a man”, “speak up” and stop “deliberately avoiding” US authorities.

Continue reading...

Prince Andrew under pressure after arrest of Ghislaine Maxwell

Royal ‘bewildered’ after US attorney asks him to come forward following arrest of his friend over alleged sex crimes

Pressure on Prince Andrew to speak to FBI investigators was mounting after his friend Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested on charges of sex trafficking and perjury as part of its ongoing inquiry into the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

At a press conference in New York in which prosecutors detailed the allegations facing Maxwell, they urged the Prince to come forward.

Continue reading...

Ghislaine Maxwell arrest throws spotlight back on Prince Andrew

Little respite for Duke of York over friendship with British socialite and Jeffrey Epstein

The arrest by the FBI of the British woman Ghislaine Maxwell on multiple charges related to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein throws an uncomfortable spotlight once more on the Duke of York.

It comes less than one month after a bad-tempered war-of-words between Prince Andrew’s lawyers and US prosecutors over the royal’s cooperation – or alleged lack of it – over their investigation into the late billionaire.

Continue reading...

Ghislaine Maxwell charged over role in Epstein sexual exploitation – video

Ghislaine Maxwell, the close friend of the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, has been charged over her 'critical role' in helping the now late billionaire groom underage victims and for lying under oath.

Maxwell was accused by many women of recruiting them to give Epstein massages, during which they were pressured into sex.

Continue reading...