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Top 10 Terrible Facts About Ghislaine Maxwell

by John Munoz
fact checked by Rachel Jones

The controversial and devastating legal case against Jeffrey Epstein didn’t end when prison guards found him dead in his cell. Alongside him for all of it was his partner Ghislaine Maxwell. Though she may have slipped under the radar at the beginning of this legal battle, she can no longer avoid the spotlight. She may be just as guilty as Epstein himself. Here are the top 10 terrible facts about Ghislaine Maxwell.

10 Hand Delivering a Master Plot

Jeffrey Epstein was “a sick pedophile” but Ghislaine Maxwell “was the mastermind,” accuser claims

In 1990, Ghislaine unwittingly embedded herself into her father’s plot to steal $220 million from the Berlitz company’s shareholders. While she may have been unaware that the envelope she carried held this grand scheme, she certainly played a small yet crucial role in it. It sounds like she already has a history of playing the accomplice.

9 Mysterious Deaths Surrounding Ghislaine Maxwell

Robert Maxwell MC (1923-1991) crook

Most of us have heard the countless conspiracy theories surrounding the 2019 suicide of her longtime partner, Jeffery Epstein. Some believe that Epstein would not only have been incapable of hanging himself considering his height, weight, and position on the bottom bunk but that there were too many high-profile public figures against whom he had potentially incriminating evidence. 

However, Epstein was not the only person close to Maxwell to die suspiciously. In 1991, her father was found nude and floating in the water beside his yacht, “Lady Ghislaine,” named after his daughter. Many believe his death to be a suicide, while the official cause of death was drowning. Conspiracy theories and suspicion also surround Maxwell’s father’s death. Many in the Maxwell family believe it to have been murder, while others speculate his death was at the hands of an intelligence agency.


8 Ghislaine’s Relationships to Future Presidents

President Donald Trump on Ghislaine Maxwell: ‘I Wish Her Well’ | NBC New York

Not only was Ghislaine a socialite in her own right, but she also took advantage of her father’s vast business connections to pave the way for her own personal ambitions. As late as the 1980s, she was known to socialize with Donald and Ivana Trump and later became close friends with Chelsea Clinton. So close she even attended the young Clinton’s wedding. While it has been said her father was unsupportive of her efforts to further her own social reach, it is commonly thought that she would be the one to introduce the notorious Jeffrey Epstein to the future presidential families.

7 Ghislaine and Royalty

Ghislaine Maxwell’s ties to powerful men, Buckingham Palace

Having a social relationship with Ghislaine Maxwell has become a stain on American presidents’ legacies and British Royalty. Before Maxwell moved to the United States, her father was a media baron in England. It was there that she started her endeavors to climb the most elite social ladders. So it’s no shock to us that she would play a crucial role in introducing Epstein to Prince Andrew. 

Because of his connections to Epstein, Andrew has caused quite a scandal for the royal family. He has since stepped away from his royal duties. While simply knowing Epstein is not a crime, many of the activities surrounding him are. Prince Andrew visited Epstein’s private island, also known as “pedophile island,” where it is assumed many of the more heinous crimes were committed. Journalists corroborated his visit when they uncovered flight logs to the island. Introducing a high-profile friend to your spouse in itself seems harmless, but her history of introducing prominent political figures to her supervillain boyfriend certainly doesn’t bode well for Miss Maxwell’s character.


6 Maxwell’s Marvelous Disappearing Act

Ghislaine Maxwell was apparently living at secluded mansion in New England beach town

While Ghislaine was very public in her relationship with Jeffery Epstein, his plea deal in 2008 changed everything. Prior to this, Maxwell had been a prominent socialite of the late 90s and early aughts. Now, to avoid scandal and arrest, she removed herself from public view. In fact, Maxwell did such a good job of removing herself from sight. Even her lawyers lost track of her location. 

This secrecy surrounding her whereabouts allowed her to evade testifying against Epstein. This game of legal hide and seek came to a head in 2019 when an anonymous Limited Liability Company with ties to Epstein purchased a high-end estate in New Hampshire. It was here that authorities arrested Ghislaine in July of 2020. It was said that she hid her identity by various means, such as changing her phone number and email address and using false names for shipping packages. Neither her own real estate agent nor the people of the surrounding town had any idea who was living in the mansion in the woods.

5 Recruiting Young Girls

Ghislaine Maxwell in NYC jail for alleged recruiting of victims | WNT

One of the many charges Maxwell is facing is luring minors to travel with the intention of illegal sexual activity. Many would ask how she came across these girls and how she was able to convince them to enter Epstein’s properties where he would abuse them. In one case, Maxwell was able to pass herself off as a talent scout for Victoria Secret Modeling, largely because of Mr. Epstein’s connections to Victoria Secret’s parent company L Brands. 

In another instance, she was said to have walked into a gym and hand a business card to the fourteen-year-old girl who was working in the daycare facility. When she was told that the young girl had interests other than modeling, she pressed further, offering many opportunities. It has also been rumored that Ghislaine continued through the mall where the gym facility was located and handed out more business cards to young girls. Many girls and women have been taught to steer clear of shady men in white vans, but a woman is a different story. Women are generally viewed as “safe,” especially to young girls and other women. To use her position and gender to take advantage of those who would view her as a non-threat, if proven true, would be a singularly horrific act.


4 Grooming

Epstein’s former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell arrested, faces grooming charges | ABC News

Of the many things Ghislaine was indicted with, grooming was not one of them. Why you ask? Grooming is not a legal term, but that does not change the horrific acts she is accused of committing. Grooming describes the slow process of removing a victim’s boundaries and objections to a situation while also gaining their trust. This is a technique often used by pedophiles, sexual offenders, and human traffickers. It can also be implemented by those who are in situations with skewed power dynamics. 

After Maxwell found a target, she would then take them on shopping sprees and outings, often showing interest in their lives. Many of the girls who have come forward with these accusations came from backgrounds where they would have felt incredibly special to be receiving this kind of attention and care, putting them at ease and filling them with a sense of trust and safety. This exact process would lead them to feel safe enough to travel to new locations and be left alone with the likes of Epstein. It was said that once Maxwell succeeded in gaining the trust of these young girls, it would be her who would initiate sexual behavior with Epstein in their presence or instruct them in the sexual massages he would demand.

3 Maxwell’s Repeated Attempts to Avoid Prison

Ghislaine Maxwell Remains In Jail After Third Bail Request Denied | NBC News NOW

Since her 2020 arrest in New Hampshire, Ghislaine has been held in a detention facility in Brooklyn, New York. But it doesn’t seem like her new-found home is exactly what she was looking for. Despite the heavy charges and seriousness of those crimes, Ghislaine has repeatedly attempted to leave the detention center through bail. No judge seems willing to take the chance that she would leave the country and evade further legal action, however, and it seems Maxwell has been increasingly desperate to do so. 

In her second attempt at securing bail, she offered a hefty $28.5 million dollars. Quite a sum for most. Officials denied it on the basis that she is too great a flight risk, even at that sum. In her most recent attempt at escaping the long arm of the law, she offered up her citizenship in both France and the United Kingdom, places she was born and raised. In addition to her citizenship, she was willing to place her and her husband’s assets in a trust controlled by the court. In her case, the crimes she is accused of committing seem to be too great for any judge to take the risk of losing her before her hearing.


2 Ghislaine’s Not so Many Bank Accounts—or Too Many?

Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell denied bail.

It seems that Maxwell never strayed far from wealth and prominence, even in her romantic life. In the 1990s, she entered into a relationship with Jeffery Epstein, whose net worth was over $500 million. She is currently married to a mystery man, who many presume to be Scott Borgerson, CEO of a large tech company. 

Yet, during her requests for bail, she personally presented much less wealth than many would assume. She claimed to have only three bank accounts with amounts totaling one million dollars or less to the courts. Most of the bail money and assets listed in court documents had been pooled from the disgraced socialite’s friends and family. The United States government claims to have evidence of several offshore accounts that had ties to Maxwell and Epstein, with amounts totaling about $20 million. However, that seems a paltry price for a right-hand man and number one henchman in a global sex trafficking ring. 

Coupled with the claims that Maxwell simply cannot recall her actual wealth, and the evidence pointing to many shell companies and offshore accounts, Maxwell’s finances may well be a key to unlocking the full story behind her involvement with Epstein. But as crucial as that may be in her upcoming trial we will have to wait to see what evidence attornies present.

1 Ghislaine’s Accused Personal Involvement

Several of Jeffrey Epstein’s accusers also claim that Maxwell herself was directly involved in the abuse. Not only do they say that she gained their trust and showered them in shopping trips and outings, but that she was present in the face of abuse—not only allowing it to happen but by being directly involved. It is said that she would undress herself in front of these young girls and engage in sexual activity with Epstein in their presence in an attempt to normalize the behavior. She is also accused of instructing these young girls on how to give the sexual massages Epstein required and would sometimes be present while those massages turned into violent assaults. If proven in her upcoming hearing, this would be the most damning crime yet. Not only did she use her womanhood and supposed safety as an older woman to lure younger girls to their abuse, but she would have directly participated in the loss of their innocence and childhood. Her trial is scheduled for July 2021.

fact checked by Rachel Jones

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