Giseline Maxwell, a long-time colleague of Jeffrey Epstein, was accused of luring minors, Epstein

Giseline Maxwell, friend and alleged partner of accused sex shopkeeper Geoffrey Epstein

Giseline Maxwell, a long-time colleague of Jeffrey Epstein, was accused of luring minors, Epstein

Giseline Maxwell, friend and alleged partner of accused sex shopkeeper Geoffrey Epstein, was arrested Thursday morning and charged by the New York Federal Prosecutor with six counts of a continuing federal investigation into Epstein's partners, according to court documents and a familiar person with the matter.

He accused Maxwell of inciting and plotting to entice minors to travel to engage in unlawful sexual acts, transport and conspiracy to transfer minors with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, and two counts of perjury, according to an unidentified federal indictment not disclosed on Thursday.

In particular, from at least 1994 or around 1994, until at least in 1997 or around 1997, Maxwell helped facilitate Geoffrey Epstein's abuse of underage girls, and contributed, inter alia, with Epstein's assistance in recruitment, And the groom, the indictment says: "In the end, it is mistreating victims known to Maxwell and Epstein to be under the age of 18."

According to the indictment, among the victims were girls as young as 14 years old. Maxwell and billionaire accused Epstein of luring them into a range of residences, including his mansion on the Upper East Side, his Palm Beach properties, and the sprawling Santa Fe farmhouse, along with her residence in London.

Authorities said Maxwell was arrested without incident in New Hampshire and will appear for the first time in court in New Hampshire. Maxwell's attorney, Jeffrey S., did not respond. Bagliuca, immediately to request comment on Thursday.

Maxwell, whose whereabouts have not been clarified since Epstein's arrest last summer, is under investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney's office to facilitate Epstein's recruitment of girls and women. She was named in multiple lawsuits by women who said they had been abused by Epstein.

Before his death in prison prison by committing suicide while awaiting trial in August 2019, Epstein faced charges of running a human trafficking institution in which he paid hundreds of dollars in cash to girls as young as 14 years old for having sex with him at his home on the Upper East Side and working in Palm Beach, working with Employees and partners to lure girls to his homes and pay some of his victims to recruit other girls to abuse him.

In the wake of Epstein's death, public pressure mounted to hold those who helped him accountable - perhaps including Maxwell and a group of young women who allegedly worked under her leadership - not only to be held accountable for his actions, but also for their own roles.

In this investigation, Maxwell remained an important target. She has previously denied wrongdoing, and described at least one of her comrades as "false."

According to Thursday's accusation, however, Maxwell was the main recruiter of the victims of the Epstein sex trafficking gang.

The indictment describes Maxwell's relationship with three victims, identified only as minor victim-1, minor victim-2 and minor victim-3.

Prosecutors accused Maxwell, along with Epstein, of seducing young girls in their district, inquiring about their schools and families, and transporting them to the movies or shopping. After developing a relationship with them, it is alleged that she will direct the relationship to a sexual area, talking to them about sexual issues or undressing in front of them, followed by encouraging them to give Epstein massage, where the girls were completely or partially naked, the indictment says.

Those massages, some of which participated in Maxwell, according to the indictment, sometimes evolved into sexual encounters. In both Maxwell's accusation and the Epstein case, federal prosecutors described Epstein's abuse from these encounters, which included touching the girl's genitals, using a sexual toy on them or directing a girl to touch him while masturbating.

The indictment alleges that Maxwell participated in "multiple group sexual encounters" with Minor Victim-1 in New York and Florida between 1994 and 1997, giving Minor Victim-2 an unwanted massage in New Mexico in 1996 while the girl was naked and encouraged the little victim-3 Give a massage to Epstein in London between 1994 and 1995, "Knowing that Epstein was aiming to sexually assault her during that massage."

But by indicting Maxwell, federal prosecutors in New York may face a legal hurdle. In 2007, Epstein signed a non-prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors in Florida that appeared to immunize his partners. The document says that "the United States also agrees that it will not bring any criminal charges against any potential conspirators of Epstein, including but not limited to" four accused partners. Maxwell was not included among them, but her attorneys might argue that she is covered by the phrase "without limitation".

When charges were brought against Epstein himself, federal prosecutors in New York said they believed the Florida Agreement did not restrict their office from being sued, but his attorneys argued otherwise.

The accusations of perjury in the indictment stem from Maxwell's 2016 precipitation as part of civil litigation. During that testimony, she denied massaging anyone, and specifically denied giving a secondary massage to victim-2 and said: "I didn't know that [Epstein] was having sexual activities with anyone when I was with him other than myself.

When asked if Epstein had a "plan to recruit underage girls for sexual massage," she replied, "I don't know what you're talking about.

Jeffrey Epstein

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