Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend
and longtime associate of the late accused sex offender Jeffrey
Epstein, was arrested in New Hampshire on Thursday on U.S.
charges of helping to lure underage girls who were then sexually
abused by Epstein.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested Maxwell about
8:30 a.m. ET (1230 GMT) in Bradford, New Hampshire, about 25
miles west of Concord, an agency spokeswoman said on Thursday.
She was due to appear in federal court on Thursday, sources
told Reuters.
Epstein was awaiting trial on charges of trafficking minors
when he was found hanged in an apparent suicide while in a New
York City jail in August.
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York
said in a news release it would announce charges later in the
day against Maxwell "for her role in the sexual exploitation and
abuse of multiple minor girls by Jeffrey Epstein."
Federal prosecutors said in court papers she had "enticed
and caused minor victims to travel to Epstein's residence in
different states" and that Maxwell would assist in their
"grooming for and subjection to sexual abuse."
Prosecutors charged that Maxwell was well aware of Epstein's
preference for minor girls, and that he intended to sexually
abuse them.
Maxwell has kept a low profile since the death of Epstein, a
financier who was accused of raping and trafficking underage
girls over nearly two decades. Some of Epstein’s alleged victims
have said Maxwell lured them into his circle, where they were
sexually abused by him and powerful friends.
Maxwell was an ex-girlfriend of Epstein who became a
longtime member of his inner circle. In a 2003 Vanity Fair
article, Epstein was quoted as saying Maxwell was his “best
friend.”