U.S. charges Ghislaine Maxwell with luring girls that Jeffrey Epstein sexually abused

Record ID: 1560392

  • Title: U.S. charges Ghislaine Maxwell with luring girls that Jeffrey Epstein sexually abused
  • Date: 2nd July 2020
  • Summary: POSTER BOARD WITH PHOTOGRAPH OF EPSTEIN AND MAXWELL
  • Embargoed: 16th July 2020 17:54
  • Keywords: Audrey Strauss FBI Ghislaine Maxwell Jeffrey Epstein Prince Andrew William Sweeney authorities federal court sexual assault
  • Location: NEW YORK, NEW YORK + CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE, UNITED STATES
  • City: NEW YORK, NEW YORK + CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE, UNITED STATES
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Crime/Law/Justice,Judicial Process/Court Cases/Court Decisions
  • Reuters ID: LVA003CL4B1HJ
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend and longtime associate of the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, was arrested in Bradford, New Hampshire on Thursday (July 2) on U.S. charges of luring underage girls so that Epstein could sexually abuse them.
    The arrest of the British socialite adds another twist in the mystery of Epstein, whose high-flying lifestyle included private Caribbean islands and powerful connections that his victims say allowed him to abuse minors with impunity.
    Maxwell, 58, is charged with four counts related to procuring and transporting minors for illegal sex acts and two counts of perjury, according to the indictment by federal prosecutors in New York.
    Epstein was awaiting trial on federal charges of trafficking minors when he was found hanged in an apparent suicide while in a New York City jail in August. Previously, he pleaded guilty in Florida to state charges of solicitation of prostitution from a minor in a 2008 deal with prosecutors that was widely criticized as too lenient.
    The indictment accuses Maxwell of luring the girls by asking them about their lives, schools and families and taking them shopping or to movies.
    After Maxwell won the girls' trust, the indictment alleges, she would try to "normalize sexual abuse" by discussing sexual topics or by undressing in front of them or being present when they were undressed.
    The indictment alleges that Maxwell was well aware of Epstein's preference for minor girls and that he intended to sexually abuse them. Epstein's alleged abuse included touching their genitals, placing sex toys on their genitals and having the girls touch Epstein while he masturbated.
    Maxwell also encouraged the young girls to massage Epstein, and in some cases, the victims were partially or fully nude during the massages, according to the indictment.
    "These sexualized massages developed into sexual encounters for which Maxwell, in some instances, was present and participated," said Southern District of New York Acting United States Attorney Audrey Strauss during a news conference in New York City.
    "Like Epstein, Miss Maxwell chose to blatantly disregard the law and her responsibilities as adult, using whatever means she had at her disposal to lure vulnerable youth into behavior (to which) they should never have been exposed and which creates lasting harm," added Federal Bureau of Investigation Assistant Director-In-Charge of New York William F. Sweeney Jr.
    Maxwell was expected to appear in federal court in New Hampshire on Thursday to discuss her bail or continued detention, according to a law enforcement official.
    A lawyer who represented Maxwell in civil litigation did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
    (Production: Angela Moore, Hussein Waaile, Elizabeth Frantz)
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