Alleged Epstein collaborator Ghislaine Maxwell arrested by the FBI.

[The Romulan Republic]

https://bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53268218

British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, an ex-girlfriend of convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, is facing charges in the US after being arrested by the FBI.

She is accused of assisting Epstein's abuse of minors by helping to recruit and groom victims known to be underage.

She was reportedly arrested in New Hampshire and is due in federal court later on Thursday.

Ms Maxwell has previously denied any involvement in or knowledge of Epstein's alleged sexual misconduct.

Epstein died in prison on 10 August as he awaited, without the chance of bail, his trial on sex trafficking charges.

He was arrested last year in New York following allegations that he was running a network of underage girls - some as young as 14 - for sex. His death was determined to be suicide.

What are the charges?
Four of the six charges relate to the years 1994-97 when Ms Maxwell was, according to the indictment, among Epstein's closest associates and also in an "intimate relationship" with him. The other two charges are allegations of perjury in 2016.

The indictment says Ms Maxwell "assisted, facilitated, and contributed to Jeffrey Epstein's abuse of minor girls by, among other things, helping Epstein to recruit, groom and ultimately abuse victims known to Maxwell and Epstein to be under the age of 18".

Specifically, she is charged with:

Conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts
Enticing a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts
Conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity
Transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity
She is accused of grooming multiple minor girls to engage in sex acts with Epstein. She allegedly attempted to befriend them by asking about their lives and families and then she and Epstein built the friendships by taking minor victims to the cinema or shopping.

Having built a rapport, Ms Maxwell would "try to normalise sexual abuse for a minor victim by... discussing sexual topics, undressing in front of the victim, being present when a minor victim was undressed, and/or being present for sex acts involving the minor victim and Epstein".

"Maxwell and Epstein worked together to entice these minor victims to travel to Epstein's residences - his residence in New York City on the Upper East Side, as well as Palm Beach, Florida, and Santa Fe, New Mexico," Audrey Strauss, acting US attorney for the Southern District of New York, told reporters.

"Some of the acts of abuse also took place in Maxwell's residence in London, England."

The perjury counts relate to depositions she gave to a New York court on 22 April and 22 July 2016. The charge sheet says she "repeatedly lied when questioned about her conduct, including in relation to some of the minor victims".

"Maxwell lied because the truth, as alleged, was almost unspeakable," said Ms Strauss.

"Maxwell enticed minor girls, got them to trust her, then delivered them into the trap that she and Epstein had set for them. She pretended to be a woman they could trust. All the while she was setting them up to be sexually abused by Epstein and, in some cases, by Maxwell herself."

What is the background?
Allegations against Epstein had dated back years before the parents of a 14-year-old girl said he had molested her in 2005. Under a legal deal, he avoided federal charges and since 2008 was listed as level three on the New York sex offenders register.

But he was arrested again in New York on 6 July 2019 and accused of sex trafficking of underage girls over a number of years.

Some of Epstein's alleged victims have accused Ms Maxwell of bringing them into his circle to be sexually abused by him and his friends.

One told the BBC's Panorama that Ms Maxwell "controlled the girls. She was like the Madam".

Ms Maxwell has denied any wrongdoing.

Earlier this year she sued Epstein's estate seeking reimbursement for legal fees and security costs. She "receives regular threats to her life and safety", court documents in that case said.

Another of Epstein's alleged victims, Virginia Giuffre, has accused Ms Maxwell of recruiting her as a masseuse to the financier at the age of 15.

Details of that allegation against Ms Maxwell emerged in documents unsealed by a US judge last August in a 2015 defamation case but are not part of the charges against Ms Maxwell unveiled in July 2020.

Who is Ghislaine Maxwell?
Ms Maxwell is the daughter of late British media mogul Robert Maxwell.

A well-connected socialite, she is said to have introduced Epstein to many of her wealthy and powerful friends, including Bill Clinton and the Duke of York (who was accused in the 2015 court papers of touching a woman at Jeffrey Epstein's US home, although the court subsequently struck out allegations against the duke).

Buckingham Palace has said that "any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors" by the duke was "categorically untrue".

Ms Maxwell has mostly been out of public view since 2016.

Media captionIn a BBC interview in 2019, Prince Andrew said he would testify under oath about Epstein
In a BBC interview last year, the Duke of York said he had met Ms Maxwell last year, before Epstein was arrested and charged. However they did not discuss Epstein, he said.

Last month a US prosecutor said Prince Andrew had "sought to falsely portray himself" as eager to co-operate with the inquiry into Epstein.

US attorney Geoffrey Berman said Prince Andrew had "repeatedly declined our request" to schedule an interview.

The duke's lawyers previously rejected claims he had not co-operated, saying he offered to help three times.

Prince Andrew stepped away from royal duties last year.

Asked about the prince on Thursday, acting Attorney Strauss said: "I am not going to comment on anyone's status in this investigation but I will say that we would welcome Prince Andrew coming in to talk with us, we would like to have the benefit of his statement."

So, anyone want to place bets on whether she also "commits suicide" before going to trial?

[Solauren]

They'll either lock her away somewhere under an assumed name, with fake records indicating she's in solitary on the other side of the country, or

She'll be dead within 4 weeks.

This will be used as evidence that people of 'such entitlement can not stand prison conditions', will be used as an argument for bail, and anyone charged will skip out to countries without extradition treaties.

[The Romulan Republic]

In all seriousness, I do hope they'll keep her alive. The people Epstein preyed on deserve their day in court. And given the kind of company Epstein kept (including our "President"), I expect she's got a few October Surprises in the making. Probably on both sides of the isle, but I'm quite happy to purge the pedos from our own ranks, and there's no way that the Epstein story being back in the headlines is going to be good for Trump, while the Democrats most compromised by it are not candidates for high office.

The downside is that any evidence of pedophilia at high levels of government will be used by Q Anon nutjobs.

[aerius]

Something tells me she ain't making it to trial either.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... ed-himself

Excerpt:

Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime friend of Jeffrey Epstein arrested Thursday for helping him sexually abuse underage girls, could wind up in the same jail where he committed suicide last year.

Unless the judge in New Hampshire releases her on bail, Maxwell will either be held overnight in a local jail there or transported immediately back to New York, said Jack Donson, a consultant who formerly worked for the federal Bureau of Prisons. In New York, she would likely be transferred to one of two federal lockups, the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Lower Manhattan or the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

Manhattan’s MCC is where Epstein, who was being held before trial on sex-trafficking charges, was found dead in his cell in August after hanging himself. How he was permitted to do so remains controversial. Two MCC guards are facing charges for falsifying records and failing to check on inmates in the hours before Epstein’s death. Both have pleaded not guilty.

[Solauren]

The only way she'll survive jail is under a false name, with Federal officers protecting her 24/7 in solitary.

[The Romulan Republic]

Well, we'll see, but it certainly doesn't inspire confidence that they're sending her to the same place that allowed/potentially facilitated Epstein's death.

[mr friendly guy]

How did she escape law enforcement for so long?

[Highlord Laan]

How did she escape law enforcement for so long?

Friends in high places needed time to destroy records and evidence.

She'll be dead before the year is out.

[Nicholas]

How did she escape law enforcement for so long?

Friends in high places needed time to destroy records and evidence.

She'll be dead before the year is out.

More likely good lawyers meant the prosecution needed to be absolutely sure all their "i"s were dotted and all their "t"s were crossed.

If those friends in high places had the power to delay her arrest they would have prevented it completely or killed her. Since she didn't die before she could be arrested I'm going to assume none of the people whom you all are assuming want to kill her knew about the arrest before it happened. It would after all be far easier to arrange a "suicide" outside of jail then inside it. Especially after what happened to Epstein.

Nicholas

[The Romulan Republic]

Yeah.

Although one does wonder if the recent ousting of the prosecutor in New York by Barr, and attempt to replace him with a loyal Trump lackey (which fortunately failed) was an attempt to derail this case before an arrest could be made (among other things- the same office is also overseeing/oversaw the Giuliani, Parnas, Cohen and Avenatti cases, among others).

[Solauren]

I have to wonder if we'll see a plea bargain offered? She talks, in exchange for going into Witness Protection, and 'time served' while in Wit-SAC waiting to testify against everyone she 'fingers'.

[The Romulan Republic]

I have to wonder if we'll see a plea bargain offered? She talks, in exchange for going into Witness Protection, and 'time served' while in Wit-SAC waiting to testify against everyone she 'fingers'.

That would be the smart thing, I would think.

I expect Barr would do everything in his power to torpedo that for the Dear Leader, though.

[The Romulan Republic]

Wow. Turns out that Lickspittle Barr's dad was actually the one who gave Epstein his start:

https://billmoyers.com/story/how-far-do ... se-extend/

Today Jeffrey Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested. Epstein was a super-shady socialite and convicted sex offender who had lots and lots of cash and hobnobbed with elites in the political and financial world. Maxwell was his socialite companion, and had been rumored to procure and groom young girls for Epstein and his friends. Epstein was arrested on July 6, 2019 on federal charges of sex trafficking of minors in Florida and New York, but died in his jail cell on August 10, leading a judge to dismiss all criminal charges against him. Maxwell was arrested today at a 156-acre farm in New Hampshire where she was hiding out. She is charged with six federal crimes, including sex trafficking and perjury.

It appears there may be a political angle to Maxwell’s arrest. Epstein entertained important people at his parties, including a number of men in Trump’s circle, as well as Trump himself. In 2002, Trump told New York Magazine, “I’ve known Jeff for fifteen years. Terrific guy. He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it—Jeffrey enjoys his social life.” There is a video of Trump and Epstein partying together at Trump’s Florida property Mar-a-Lago in 1992, apparently discussing the women dancing around them, and after Maxwell’s arrest, a number of pictures of Trump and Maxwell together emerged on social media.

But while there have been allegations against Trump stemming from his association with Epstein, the only confirmed dealings with a member of the administration involve Trump’s first Secretary of Labor, Alexander Acosta. He had to resign when it turned out that as US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida in 2007-2008, he had cut Epstein a secret deal to avoid the gravity of accusations against him. The FBI had identified at least 34 confirmed minors who alleged that Epstein had abused them, and there was evidence to corroborate those accounts, but Acosta permitted Epstein to plead guilty to a single state charge of solicitation and granted Epstein — and any potential co-conspirators — immunity from federal charges. Epstein served 13 months in the county jail, from which he was allowed out 12 hours a day on “work release.” Acosta later maintained that the deal was the only way prosecutors could be sure Epstein went to jail, and he expressed dismay at the work release arrangement, which Acosta called “complete BS.”

After Acosta became Labor Secretary, an investigation by the Miami Herald brought to light both the agreement and that Acosta had kept it secret, thus apparently violating the Crime Victims’ Rights Act of 2004 that says victims must be kept informed of the progress of federal criminal cases. (In April of this year, a federal appeals court said this law did not apply because Epstein was never charged.) In July 2019, Epstein was again arrested for sex trafficking. When agents searched his townhouse, they found hundreds of photos of naked girls and women, as well as CDs labeled with the names of young girls, the “+” sign, and the names of men. Acosta was in the news right then for trying to cut 80 percent from the budget of the International Labor Affairs Bureau, the agency that combats the sex trafficking of children. Acosta resigned from the administration on July 19.

So there is a connection between the Epstein case and the Trump administration through Acosta. But there may be something else out there. The charges today against Maxwell come from the office of the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, which also handled the 2019 Epstein case. Like his, Maxwell’s case is staffed by lawyers from the Public Corruption Unit. According to CNN legal analyst Elie Honig, this unit does not generally do sex trafficking cases “unless there is some potential angle against a public official.”

SDNY just announced the Ghislaine Maxwell case – like the original Epstein case – is staffed by the Public Corruption Unit.

I worked at SDNY and did sex trafficking cases. They do NOT run out of Public Corruption – unless there is some potential angle against a public official.

— Elie Honig (@eliehonig) July 2, 2020

There is yet another thread dangling over this case. Less than two weeks ago, Attorney General William Barr tried to fire the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman, and replace him with someone outside the normal line of succession. Berman refused to leave, noting that until the Senate confirmed a replacement for him, “our investigations will move forward without delay or interruption. I cherish every day that I work with the men and women of this Office to pursue justice without fear or favor – and intend to ensure that this Office’s important cases continue unimpeded.” It sounded like he had a specific case in mind, and that both he and Barr knew what it was.

Barr had to back down, permitting the Deputy US Attorney, Audrey Strauss, to take over for Berman, who stepped down once he had secured a normal succession for the position. It is Strauss’s name that is on the Maxwell indictment.

It was Barr’s father, Donald Barr, the headmaster of the prestigious Dalton School in New York City, who launched Epstein, hiring the 20-year-old math whiz and college dropout Epstein to teach high school calculus and physics. It was a student’s father who gave him a start in the more lucrative profession of options trading.

So perhaps we are looking at yet another scandal involving public officials; certainly there is plenty of such speculation on Twitter tonight. And yet, as damning as all this looks, I remain a skeptic about whether Barr’s attempt to take over the SDNY office is tied to the Maxwell case, and whether the case will ultimately involve members of Trump’s inner circle. To me this all looks a bit too neat, although there is no doubt that many important men are likely very nervous about what Maxwell could tell authorities.

It seems to me more likely that Barr’s attempts to take over the Justice Department with his own loyalists reflects a desire to control a number of cases that touch the president, not just this one. And Barr is definitely consolidating power in the DOJ. It largely flew under the radar, but in addition to his attempt to remove Berman from the Southern District of New York, over Memorial Day weekend Barr removed the US Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas. Joseph Brown was a Trump appointee who wanted to bring criminal charges against Walmart for its role in the opioid crisis. Barr replaced Brown with Stephen J. Cox, who had stalled the Walmart case.

And today, news broke that Richard Donoghue, the US Attorney in Brooklyn, New York, who is close to Barr, has stepped down to move to Washington, where he will take a powerful position in the Justice Department, overseeing investigations around the country. Barr is considering candidates to replace him, including Seth DuCharme, another loyalist.

We may learn more about Barr’s politicization of the Department of Justice when Berman testifies before a closed session of the House Judiciary Committee next week.

Of course, as noted above, their are plenty of possible motives for Barr's actions- pretty much none of them good.

But you know, the Trumpers do have a knack for projection, particularly weaponized projection, aka Whataboutism/"Both Sides". Which means that when they make a big deal of accusing their opponents of something, the odds are pretty high that they've done something like it themselves.

There are of course child sex abusers, and people complicit in child sex abuse, on the Left and in the Center and across all facets of society (Anthony Weiner obviously comes to mind). It wouldn't shock me much if Bill Clinton, among others, was neck deep in Epstein's crimes. But when the Right started screaming about a massive global liberal conspiracy of pedophiles operating sex rings out of pizza joints, that's the point where we all should have realized that it was probably just a matter of time before a high-level Republican pedophilia ring came to light.

[bilateralrope]

How did she escape law enforcement for so long?

One theory I heard was that she was allowed to stay out because she was helping the investigation. But she stopped and blew up her deal. Maybe because she plans to blackmail a pardon out of Trump.

[The Romulan Republic]

Deutsche Bank has just been fined 150 million over failure to properly scrutinize its dealings with Epstein:

https://cbc.ca/news/business/deutsche-p ... -1.5640121

[mr friendly guy]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-15/ ... g/12456140

Maxwell pleads not guilty, and denied bail.

[The Romulan Republic]

Trump has repeatedly expressed his well-wishes for Maxwell in recent weeks. So keeping her mouth shut and pleading not guilty may be something she's doing in the hopes of a pardon or commutation in exchange for her silence/loyalty, a la Roger Stone.