British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell has been accused of luring girls and young women into Jeffrey Epstein's circle, where they were sexually abused. She has said that many accusations against her are "absolute rubbish."
Ghislaine Maxwell, a British socialite who was a longtime friend of the late accused sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was arrested by the FBI on Thursday in the US state of New Hampshire.
Maxwell, who was also Epstein's girlfriend at one point, has been accused of luring underage girls into the late billionaire's circle, where he and his friends allegedly sexually abused them.
FBI spokesman Marty Feely said Maxwell was taken into custody around 8:30 AM local time.
Maxwell has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and has said that many of the claims against her are "absolute rubbish."
Epstein's 'highest-raking employee'
The lawsuit alleges that Maxwell oversaw and trained recruiters, developed recruiting plans and helped conceal the activity from law enforcement.
An unsealed indictment, reported by Reuters, shows Maxwell charged with six counts, which include enticing a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and two counts of perjury, among other related offenses.
''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,'' the indictment read.
One victim accused Maxwell of arranging for her to have sex with Prince Andrew, a claim denied by the royal
One of the most controversial accusations leveled against Maxwell was a claim by one Epstein victim, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who said the socialite arranged for her to have sex with Britain's Prince Andrew at Maxwell's London townhouse.
In a separate lawsuit by another Epstein victim, Maxwell was described as the ''highest-ranking employee'' in the alleged sex trafficking operation.
A lavish life in New York
Maxwell is the daughter of late British media magnate Robert Maxwell, who founded a publishing house and owned tabloids, including the Daily Mirror.
In the early 1990s, she moved to New York, where she began a romantic relationship with Epstein, who was a financier at the time. The two lived a lavish style and frequently attended high society parties.
Maxwell largely disappeared from public view in 2016 and has been elusive since Epstein was charged with sex trafficking.
jcg/rs (Reuters, AP, dpa,AFP)
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