Written by: Caitlin Gann, Staff Writer
BETRAYAL: When the abused becomes the abuser.
Ghislaine Maxwell, the girlfriend of late Jeffrey Epstein, is in a lot of hot water. Victims of her boyfriend and his friends are coming forward claiming that Maxwell persuaded them into having sexual relations with them. Back in December of 2021, Maxwell was found guilty of five charges including sex trafficking a minor, transporting a minor with the intent the engage in criminal sexual activity, and three other counts of conspiracy. Maxwell’s trial is still ongoing, even though her lawyers believe that her trials have not been fair. This trial will expose big names of those who were friends of Epstein, such as large socialites and prominent politicians. Prince Andrew has already been exposed as Virginia Giuffre’s rapist when she was only 17, and will soon be seeing trial.
Ghislaine Maxwell was born on December 25, 1961 to parents Robert and Betty Maxwell. She was raised in a mansion overlooking the lavish city of Oxford in the United Kingdom. While there was no known sexual abuse in Maxwell’s younger years her childhood was riddled with both emotional and physical abuse from both her mother and father. Robert Maxwell, Ghaslaine’s father, grew up in poverty in a Czechoslovak Jewish settlement after most of his family was killed in the Holocaust. He was a British Army war hero and eventually became the owner of the Daily Mirror. He threw lavish parties for socialites, politicians, and celebrities; but after all of the company left the empty house was cold and a miserable place to grow up. Although Ghislaine was the favorite out of all the Maxwell children, she was not exempt from any of the abuse that happened at the hands of her father. Ghislaine studied at Marlborough College and Oxford University, both extremely prestigious schools in the UK. Even in school she was recalled as a woman who was extremely interested in power and money; something that grew to be very prominent in her adult life.
It seems predictable that Maxwell was drawn to Epstein, as he is very similar to her father. A powerful man with money that could take the place of her father, since he died the same year that they met. The exact details of their relationship are very hazy, but it is assumed Maxwell and Epstein met in 1991 through a mutual friend. They spent the early 90s in private jets and million dollar homes with other socialites, most notoriously Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, and Prince Andrew. She was known as “the lady of the house” at many of Epstein’s properties, but all traces of her were removed by the help when Epstein had female friends over. The first known time that Maxwell helped exploit an underage girl was in 1994. That girl was Annie Farmer, and she was 16 when Maxwell lured her to one of Epstein’s ranch properties in New Mexico. She was sexually assulted by Epstein in a bedroom of the property. Her family sued Epstein and Maxwell, but accepted a compensation offer from the Epstein Victims’ Compensation Fund and dropped the allegations. Maxwell was an important part of the grooming process. She created trust in the young girls so Epstein and his friends could take advantage of them. Epstein and his friends would also take Epstein’s private jet nicknamed the “Lolita Express” to his private island in the Virgin Islands to solicit underage girls. These horrendous acts took place up until 2005 when a 14 year old girl reported to the police that Epstein sexually assaulted her in his Palm Beach, Florida home. Epstein was arrested in 2006 and charged for one count of solicitation of a prostitute and one count of solicitation of a minor. He served 13 months in jail. After Epstein was jailed, Maxwell distanced herself from him, but she still continued to work at his properties and talk to him in private. In July of 2019, Epstein was arrested and charged for sex trafficking and conspiracy. On August 10, 2019, Epstein was found dead in a Manhattan prison while he was awaiting trial. His death was ruled a suicide, but many speculate that Epstein’s death was done as a form of protection for others because of his approaching trial.
After Epstein’s arrest and alleged suicide, Maxwell moved to a secluded property in New Hampshire. FBI arrested her about a year later and on December 29, 2021 she was found guilty of five federal sex trafficking charges. She was found not guilty of one charge: enticing a minor to travel to exchange in illegal sexual acts. The legitamacy of this trial is being brought into question after it was revealed that one of the jury members had been sexually abused as a child, making the jury member biased. Maxwell’s lawyers requested a retrial because of this information being revealed, but getting a retrial is often very difficult. Barry Salzman, representative of 20 of Epstein’s victims, believes that an inaccurate questionnaire is not enough to overturn Maxwell’s verdict. The issue of the juror brings to question whether Maxwell got a fair trial, but the juror had to have engaged in misleading conduct which is yet to be determined. They do not want the prosecution witnesses to recount their experiences a second time. It is unsure if Maxwell will get a retrial with a different jury, but there is expected to be a response from the government on February 2. While it is still unknown where Maxwell’s fate lies, it is clear that everyone can hope that she is found guilty and that all victims receive justice.
