Maxwell, who is part of British high society, was arrested in New Hamspshire, northeastern US, on charges related to the scandal surrounding Epstein before he was found lifeless in his cell in New York on August 10 last year while awaiting trial for alleged child sexual abuse, among other crimes.
The woman, who was a multimillion-dollar partner, must appear in federal court.
The anti-Maxwell signs were first made public in court documents in 2009 and resurfaced at the end of last year, after one of Epstein’s alleged victims accused Maxwell in an interview with the BBC of controlling the women who were in the tycoon’s service.
“Ghislaine controlled the girls. She was like madame,” Said Sarah Ransome on the Panorama show.
Epstein was accused of running a vast network of underage sex trafficking.
At the time, Maxwell was unable to be contacted to comment on these allegations, but had previously denied any involvement or knowledge of the abuses that Epstein was accused of.
The finance mogul – who befriended Prince Andrew of England and former American President Bill Clinton, among others – was arrested last year in New York after being accused of running a child prostitution network.
Authorities found that his death in August 2019 was a suicide.
What are the charges Ghislaine Maxwell faces?
Maxwell is charged with conspiracy to persuade minors to travel and engage in sexual acts; persuade a minor to travel and participate in sexual acts; conspiracy to transport minors with the intention of engaging in sexual activities; and to transport a minor with the intention of engaging in sexual activities.
He is also charged with two counts of perjury.
The authorities accuse her of lying “repeatedly when asked about her conduct, even in relation to some of the minor victims.”
Photographs of Epstein alongside prominent businessmen or even royals were common, like this one with Donald Trump in 1997.
Who is Ghislaine Maxwell
Born on Christmas Day 1961 on the outskirts of Paris, Maxwell was educated at Oxford University and speaks several languages.
American media point out that from a young age he was a person with numerous contacts in the upper class and that it was she who introduced Epstein to many of his rich and powerful friends, including Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew, Duke of York.
Queen Elizabeth II’s third son was singled out for allegedly “touching” a woman at Epstein’s home in the US, an accusation that ended up being dismissed and which Buckingham Palace called “categorically false.”
According to the newspaper The Washington Post, the couple’s friends point out that Maxwell’s romantic relationship with Epstein lasted a few years, although she continued to work for him some time later.
“She was a person of education and refined tastes and knew how to run a house or a boat and how to serve the guests,” according to one acquaintance of both to the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph.
In a profile of Vanity Fair published in 2003, Epstein commented that he did not consider Maxwell an employee but his “best friend”.
In court documents issued late last year, the outsiders of Epstein’s palm mansion in Palm Beach, Florida, also describe her as the house manager, who supervised staff, managed finances, and served as a social coordinator.
