The FBI is investigating Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite and longtime associate of dead financier Jeffrey Epstein, as part of its investigation into the sex offender and his enablers.
The bureau has focused on Maxwell and unnamed others who may have “facilitated” Epstein in his alleged scheme to exploit underage girls, according to Reuters. Epstein was accused of raping dozens of underage girls over the years, and Maxwell has been accused of helping groom some of Epstein’s victims. Maxwell has denied these claims, and the FBI has not accused her of committing any crimes.
The whereabouts of Maxwell, 57, are unknown. The youngest daughter of British publisher and fraudster Robert Maxwell, she moved to New York after her father’s death in 1991 and became Epstein’s on-again, off-again girlfriend, eventually becoming his alleged right-hand woman. Prosecutors described Epstein’s yearslong efforts to “entice and recruit minor girls to engage in sex acts with him” and to build a “vast network of underage victims” when they arrested him in July.
Epstein’s victims have continued to fight for accountability following his suicide while under arrest, and Epstein’s high-profile friendships with people such as former President Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, and others have come under increased scrutiny.
As Epstein helped her move through the New York City social scene, Maxwell successfully insinuated herself with British royalty and brought Epstein along for the ride, helping Epstein become friends with the Duke of York, Queen Elizabeth II’s second son.
Virginia Roberts Giuffre, 35, alleges Epstein and Andrew abused her when she was underage, accusing the prince of raping her at Maxwell’s home in London and Epstein’s homes in New York and the U.S. Virgin Islands when she was 17 years old. Maxwell is alleged to have helped Epstein exploit Giuffre and numerous others over the years.
Andrew, 59, claimed he has no memory of meeting Giuffre and denied having sex with her, attempting to cast doubt on the veracity of a smiling picture of himself with his arm wrapped around Giuffre with Maxwell in the background. Alleged sources close to the prince told British newspapers the photo was faked, which Giuffre denied.
British newspapers reported in 2000 and 2001 that Maxwell and Andrew had become great friends and may have been romantically involved. The two met through Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, whom flight logs show Epstein knew and visited in the Bahamas as early as 1998.
The Duke of York invited Epstein and Maxwell to royal residences such as Windsor Castle, visited Epstein’s private island, and stayed at his homes many times over the years, including in 2010 — after Epstein’s prior sex offender conviction. A recent BBC interview combined with revelations about his friendship with Epstein forced the royal to step away from his official duties.
The law enforcement sources said the bureau is not currently planning to interview Andrew, though that could change, and that agents are following up on other tips and leads it has received since Epstein’s apparent suicide in his Manhattan jail cell in August.
Attorney General William Barr said the investigation into Epstein’s alleged international sex trafficking conspiracy would continue and any of his co-conspirators “should not rest easy.”
