Nearly a year after Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in a Manhattan jail of a supposed suicide, the most wanted woman in the world was finally caught by the FBI.
After a year of speculating whether she was taking advantage of extradition laws in Paris or smuggling In-N-Out burgers in Los Angeles, Ghislaine Maxwell was found hiding out on a 156-acre compound, which she had purchased with cash in the tiny town of Bradford, New Hampshire. Epstein’s henchwoman has been charged with conspiracy to entice minors to engage in illegal sex acts, conspiracy to transport minors to engage in illegal sex acts, transportation of a minor to engage in illegal sex acts, and perjuring herself in 2016.
If found guilty, the 58-year-old British socialite would likely face decades behind bars.
That sound you hear is that of princes, politicians, and international party girls and playboys all shaking in their boots with the realization that a woman with everything to gain and nothing left to lose is in the custody of prosecutors who would love to hear her secrets.
Maxwell spent decades as Epstein’s girlfriend slash partner in crime. She stands accused of orchestrating the procurement of children to rape and traffic to their famous friends. A comprehensive case detailing what exactly Maxwell knows would probably require a book, not a news item, but it’s worth evaluating just what she was likely privy to.
Maxwell is supposed to know about most of Prince Andrew’s alleged dealings with Epstein’s sex slaves. She’s in the background of the infamous photo of the resigned senior royal with Virginia Roberts Giuffre, Epstein’s most vocal victim. But the prince is far from the only person to fear Maxwell’s capture. Giuffre claims that Maxwell’s onetime best friend, Naomi Campbell, knew of her abuse. If Alan Dershowitz abused Giuffre, as she has claimed (Dershowitz denies it), Maxwell would likely know.
Perhaps even more important, though, is whatever Maxwell knows about how Epstein and his associates skirted justice for so long. According to prosecutors, the heiress of publishing tycoon Robert Maxwell has 15 bank accounts with millions of dollars, passports from three countries, and a global network of elite connections willing to help her out of fear as much as friendship.
The signs that something was coming related to Epstein had been evident in recent months. For example, the authorities took the rare step of publicly rebuking Prince Andrew, declaring that the queen’s favorite son had actively stonewalled their efforts to question him under a legally binding directive. So, after a year of her being at large, it makes sense that law enforcement finally managed to track down Maxwell.
And now, she has every reason to tell her secrets. Here is a chance for justice that many have spent decades waiting for.
