Audrey Strauss, acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, points to a photo of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell during a news conference in New York.

John Minchillo/AP/Shutterstock (Licensed)

Epstein’s partner Ghislaine Maxwell arrested on charges of sexually abusing minors

The arrest reignited the 'Jeffrey Epstein didn't kill himself' tweets.

 

Siobhan Ball

Internet Culture

Posted on Jul 2, 2020   Updated on Feb 9, 2021, 11:11 am CST

Ghislaine Maxwell, ex-girlfriend and alleged second-in-command of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking ring, has been arrested in by the FBI after months of living in hiding and only communicating through her lawyers.

Maxwell was arrested in Bradford, New Hampshire on charges of conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, and made a federal court appearance via video on Thursday afternoon. She is to be detained and transferred to New York.

The indictment accuses Maxwell of luring and then grooming underage girls, some as young as fourteen, for Epstein to abuse as well as sexually abusing some of them herself. It also accuses her participating in the trafficking of victims across state lines and international borders as well as lying under oath.

Acting USA Strauss: As alleged, Ghislaine Maxwell facilitated, aided, and participated in acts of sexual abuse of minors.  Maxwell enticed minor girls, got them to trust her, and then delivered them into the trap that she and Jeffrey Epstein had set. 1/2
@SDNYnews
2/2: Maxwell pretended to be a woman these victims could trust. All the while, she was setting them up to be abused sexually by Epstein and, in some cases, by her. Today, after many years, Ghislaine Maxwell finally stands charged for her role in these crimes.
@SDNYnews

News of Maxwell’s arrest has inspired a surge of tweets reminding the internet of Epstein’s connections to influential figures, including President Trump and former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. CNN legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Elie Honig noted that Maxwell’s case, like Epstein’s, is being handled by the Public Corruption Unit, which only handles sex trafficking cases when a public official may have been involved.

SDNY just announced the Ghislaine Maxwell case - like the original Epstein case - is staffed by the Public Corruption Unit.  I worked at SDNY and did sex trafficking cases. They do NOT run out of Public Corruption - unless there is some potential angle against a public official.
Elie Honig
"Hopefully, Ghislaine Maxwell exposes the Clintons, Trumps, and Prince Andrew before she gets Epsteined." pictures of Maxwell with them
Elie Honig
"Trump: "Ghislaine Maxwell? I think she was one of Epstein's girlfriends. Never met her." images of Epstein with Trump
Elie Honig

There’s also speculation on Twitter about Epstein’s alleged suicide and the likelihood of Maxwell facing a similarly suspicious end.

So Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested in NH. I hope they are not keeping her in the same federal facility that Epstein did not kill himself in. She may not end up so well.
@KamVTV
Ghislaine Maxwell didn’t kill herself.  This will save me some time with posting it later.
@KamVTV
Sad to hear that Ghislaine Maxwell committed suicide in federal custody next week
@KamVTV
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*First Published: Jul 2, 2020, 3:51 pm CDT