British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, a confidante of Jefferey Epstein, has been arrested by federal authorities.
NBC News, citing senior law enforcement officials, reports that Maxwell was taken into custody on Thursday morning in Bedford, New Hampshire. Maxwell, the 58-year-old daughter of the late British media proprietor Robert Maxwell, has made headlines for her alleged involvement in Epstein's sexual abuse case. Maxwell has previously denied any wrongdoing.
In the federal indictment obtained by E! News, Maxwell is charged with six counts for her alleged involvement in the Epstein abuse case. The counts include conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, enticement of a minor to travel and engage in illegal sex acts, conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, as well as two counts of perjury.
"The charges set forth herein stem from the role of Ghislaine Maxwell, the defendant, in the sexual exploitation and abuse of multiple minor girls by Jeffrey Epstein," the indictment states. "In particular, from at least in or about 1994, up to and including at least in or about 1997, 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 know to Maxwell and Epstein to be under the age of 18. The victims were as young as 14 years old when they were groomed and abused by Maxwell and Epstein, both of whom knew that certain victims were in fact under the age of 18."
Epstein, an accused sex trafficker, died by suicide in his New York City jail cell in Aug. 2019. Epstein, a U.S. multimillionaire financier, was arrested in July 2019. He had been awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges at the time of his death.
Epstein had pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking of dozens of underage girls, some as young as 14, from at least 2002 to 2005.
This case has also made headlines over the alleged involvement of Prince Andrew. The royal has been accused of having sexual relations with a then-17-year-old Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who claimed in a lawsuit that she was sex trafficked by Epstein and Maxwell. Prince Andrew has previously said that he doesn't recall ever meeting her. Though a photo exists appearing to show Prince Andrew and the teen believed to be taken inside the London home of Maxwell in 2001.
"I have absolutely no memory of that photograph ever being taken," the Duke of York statement in a 2019 interview with the BBC. "I don't remember going upstairs in the house because that photograph was taken upstairs and I am not entirely convinced that… I mean that is… that is what I would describe as me in that. We can't be certain as to whether or not that's my hand on her whatever it is, left… left side."