[imagesource: Joe Schildhorn / Patrick McMullan/Getty]
When Jeffrey Epstein was arrested and imprisoned, and more information about the sexual assault allegations against him came to light, many wondered when his partner in crime, Ghislaine Maxwell, would get her day in court.
The Epstein documentary Filthy Rich further implicated Maxwell in his crimes, with victims alleging that she not only groomed them, but participated in the sexual assault herself.
On July 2, she was finally arrested.
Over to IOL:
Maxwell, 58, the daughter of late newspaper tycoon Robert Maxwell, was arrested at her $1 million (about R17 million ) home in New Hampshire on Thursday. She is accused of being Epstein’s madam and luring girls as young as 14 so he could abuse them.
The raid took place at 8.20am on Thursday when armed FBI agents used bolt cutters to break a lock on the gate to the 156-acre property.
An officer said: “Maxwell was up and dressed, in the living room. Strangely, she didn’t seem to have much reaction. It was like it wasn’t registering with her.”
Speaking about the arrest, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who claims to have been forced to have sex with Prince Andrew, says the prince “should be panicking” because “Ghislaine doesn’t really care about anyone else but Ghislaine”.
She said: “I have not stopped smiling and crying happy tears and I’m just elated to know she is where she belongs.
“She ruined so many lives. She belongs in jail. You want to hurt kids? That’s where you go.”
[Giuffre] said her biggest hope is that Maxwell cooperates, adding: “I really hope she comes forward and says A, B, C, D, E was involved, this is how it ran.”
Meanwhile, Prince Andrew’s lawyers tried to hire a Washington lobbyist with ties to the Trump administration to help resolve the Epstein situation.
London-based firm Blackfords consulted Robert Stryk to see if he could end the standoff with federal prosecutors who want to question the duke, the New York Times said.
Mr Stryk, whose company Sonoran Policy Group describes its services as “global private diplomacy”, is representing the administration of brutal Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro. Mr Stryk declined to comment and Blackfords was not available for comment.
Maxwell is yet to enter a plea, with prosecutors doing what they can protect her following the controversial Epstein ‘suicide’.
The Department of Justice wants to make sure that “nothing can happen to her”, especially as a plea deal could lead to the “conviction of bigger fish”, a source said.
Maxwell’s long-time friend Christopher Mason, a British journalist who lives in New York, said he feared for her life. Mr Mason said Maxwell could have access to video recordings of powerful men having sex with young women at Epstein’s mansions.
The recordings have disappeared but Maxwell may have copies.
The New York Post reports that Maxwell broke down in tears and wailed “Why is this happening?” when she faced a judge, according to Giuffre.
She heard “a very loud British woman screaming, ‘Why is this happening? How is this happening? How could this happen?’ — and just crying her eyes out,” Giuffre told “60 Minutes Australia,” smiling at the memory.
Giuffre describes it as the best day of her life.
You can watch the 60 Minutes Australia interview below, which also features other alleged victims of Jeffrey Epstein:
Lawyers for Epstein’s victims say they predict that dozens more women could come forward alleging he abused them.
The US lawyer for the $650 million compensation fund for Epstein’s victims said “many” of them could be British.
