Ghislaine Maxwell, widely described as an associate of Jeffrey Epstein, has been arrested.
The FBI announced Maxwell’s arrest on Thursday, per the Associated Press. An FBI rep said she was taken into custody around 8:30 a.m. in New Hampshire.
An indictment against Maxwell—who has been publicly accused by many women of having helped "recruit" underage girls for Epstein—was made public and obtained by Complex shortly after news broke of the arrest. In it, Maxwell is said to have "assisted, facilitated, and contributed to Jeffrey Epstein's abuse of minor girls by, among other things, helping Epstein to recruit, groom, and ultimately abuse" them.
Maxwell's participation in methods of having “enticed and groomed” the victims are detailed in the indictment as including befriending them prior to abuse, taking victims shopping or to the movies, and normalizing abuse by undressing in front of them or discussing “sexual topics.”
In some instances, per the indictment, Maxwell had been "present for and participated in" the abuse of minor victims. The victims, prosecutors state, were "as young as 14" at the time.
Among the charges are conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, enticement of a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, and transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. Additionally, Maxwell has been charged with two counts of perjury.
"As alleged, Ghislaine Maxwell facilitated, aided, and participated in acts of sexual abuse of minors," Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said in a press release. "Maxwell enticed minor girls, got them to trust her, and then delivered them into the trap that she and Jeffrey Epstein had set. She pretended to be a woman they could trust. All the while, she was setting them up to be abused sexually by Epstein and, in some cases, Maxwell herself. Today, after many years, Ghislaine Maxwell finally stands charged for her role in these crimes."
Below, you'll find an archived stream of a press conference regarding Maxwell's arrest and charges:
During the press conference, Strauss elaborated further on the charges against Maxwell.
"[She] lied because the truth, as alleged, was almost unspeakable," Strauss said.
FBI Assistant Director William F. Sweeney Jr. also spoke at the press conference.
"We had been discreetly keeping tabs on Maxwell's whereabouts as we worked this investigation and more recently we learned that she had slithered away to a gorgeous property in New Hampshire, continuing to live a life of privilege while her victims live with the trauma inflicted upon them years ago," Sweeney said.
Law enforcement sources toldNBC New York that it's possible, depending on a number of factors, that Maxwell could end up being held at the same facility where Epstein died. Maxwell has been labeled a flight risk, with prosecutors requesting she remain held while awaiting trial.
And while we're at it:
