I find it interesting that, even after Epstein’s convictions, Maxwell remained close with the Clintons. More will (hopefully) be revealed. I get the feeling that plenty of high dollar lawyers the world over are getting frantic phone calls.
88
Book her, Danno.
67
The question remains: how did Epstein make his fortune? Follow the money.
116
Lift a rock and you just don't know what is going to crawl out.
How many more websites are going to be shut down, people disappear to the four winds, etc, as the fallout from this US scandal is sanitized by the rich & powerful.
84
How much more evidence do we need that Al Capone got it so very right ?..."Capitalism is a legitimate racket run by the ruling class."
175
Is she one of the unindicted so-conspirators?
43
A Siren Call to responsible journalists, everywhere: PLEASE KEEP DIGGING.
209
Here is to hoping she's held accountable.
76
As a woman, I find it particularly despicable for women to either actively enable sexual abuse of others (whether children or women), or turn a blind eye to it. I get the sense that Ms Maxwell appeared to have enjoyed her part in Epstein's criminal behavior, not necessarily to 'keep her man', but as a means of attaining power herself by subjugating vulnerable girls.
157
The court filings alleging Ghislaine Maxwell's off-the-wall relationship with Mr. Epstein are going to be trawled over constantly in the coming months. As someone who has read them thoroughly, she is not going to come out of it well. Her friends in New York, London, Paris and elsewhere need to prepare themselves for some deeply disturbing reading.
103
Being a Maxwell, it is hard to believe that the tiresome morality of ordinary people would bother her, after all, Daddy was above such dreary considerations.
89
It seems a sad commentary on our world that the names Clinton and Trump feature prominently in the sordid tale of Epstein. Both could charitably be viewed as social climbers on the make, and their own records with women are pretty tawdry. What other names will surface, I wonder?
77
The story gets more sordid. Shameful that she resorted to being a madame just to keep her sugar daddy happy. Clearly couldn't be bothered working in a real job like most of us...and clearly zero moral conscience. How does she sleep at night?
That aside, I still want to know where Epstein got his money from. It clearly wasn't via legitimate means. This guy is as dirty as they come.
120
@Anne Managing a HEDGE FUND is completely legal. And betting against American companies should be illegal but it's not.
25
No middle-aged man can recruit a revolving door of young girls with the efficiency of a dedicated woman. Madam Facilitator Maxwell was no doubt the recruiter the young girls trusted. She's the one who fed victims to the lion. She is as guilty as the perpetrator. Justice needs to find this horrible person, and bring her back to the USA to pay a price. Her betrayals to the young girls she recruited illustrates the absolute worst of human behavior. No amount of punishment will equal the harm she helped cause.
202
“seemed to be half ex-girlfriend, half employee, half best friend, and fixer.” One would expect better math skills from an Oxford-educated investment banker.
99
@Al Whitaker
LOL. Thanks for a brief comic moment. We could use them. This is all so disgusting.
59
Being uber wealthy doesn't seem to do humans much good. I mean, really, way too many have to get their weird thrills by having at young girls or boys, and/or by trophy hunting wild life. Otherwise, what, they are bored out of their gourd? Poor poor pitiful them. Rather sickening, the lot of them.
125
Ghislane's father, Robert, was a British MP and is alleged to have been a triple agent for MI6, MOSSAD and the KGB. When he passed away, six serving and former heads of MOSSAD attended his funeral in which Israeli PM Yitzak Shamir delivered a eulogy at Maxwell's funeral. Is this all part of a bribery or blackmail scandal? In this case is the daughter following in the footsteps of her father? Was Jeffrey Epstein her accomplice? It is not my intent nor should my remarks be taken to imply any kind of conspiracy, especially one that involves Jews or Israel. However, the known information certainly raises a lot of red flags. Only time will tell. In the meantime, get out the popcorn!
69
@AZRandFan Clearly, Ep had ties to Israel, big time, and at the highest levels. Astonishing, really, is the unabashed immorality.
28
@AZRandFan. It’s my understanding that former Israeli PM Barack is a CURRENT business associate of Epstein’s and has been for years.
29
The article really glosses over the massive scandal around Ghislaine Maxwell’s father, who looted his publishing companies’ pension funds of some £450 million as the companies were going under. Ghislaine “lost” her father right before the scandal became public, when he was found floating in the Atlantic off the side of his yacht, as I recall. Her two brothers were implicated as well. It was kind of Madiff-level at the time.
89
She’s an accomplice and complicity violated the law should be charged with culpability and extradited to face criminal charges
50
Sounds like this entire Epstein scandal threatens to blow up hugely and bury Trump (and others) in all kinds sex-related shrapnel. Maybe that's one reason for Trump's recent Twitter tirades - he wants to distract us from contemplating whether he and Epstein are brothers in sex trafficking.
165
Extradite her to the USA and question her with jail time and she will start singing. God only knows the names in the list of people entangled in the web. I for one is very keen on whos-who on the abuse list.
64
It is unfortunate that Ms. Maxwell was deprived of her piece of her father's illicit fortune but to become a sex trafficker to the mega-rich was a perverted way to go about creating social standing for herself. What is it with rich, famous or powerful men these days that they have to have sex with minors? Are real women too much for them? Are they back in the stone age and looking for virgins? Is it too easy to get an adult woman to sleep with them so they have to trick adolescents into 'massages' then abuse them? This kind of behavior is sick and everyone involved in it needs to be named, shamed, arrested and jailed to show all of society that this is not OK. I hope the media doesn't let it go because we all need to be aware of what's going on and watch out for rich men sexually exploiting girls, from toddlers to teenagers to powerless women.
110
@Alanna
It's not just that these men fear powerful women. They fear death, and older women, with their ticking biological clocks and cycles, remind them that everyone ages.
Girls create for them the illusion that they will remain young and vital forever. -- thegamesmenplay.com
69
@GG Young girls (even legal ones) are a mirror into which a man can look at and feel more virile and stave off the fear of death
33
@Alanna Civil liability would be good, too. Where is Gloria Allred these days? A group class action going after financials would be more justice than criminal cases.
18
In the photo showing Ms. Maxwell at Vanity Fair's Oscars party in 2014, isn't the unidentified gentleman she has her arms around Harvey Weinstein? For once, he seems to be keeping his hands to himself.
76
@Fidelio
Because she's old.
32
I’m worried that it’s going to be same on Bill Barr for shutting down this lawsuit.
29
@MmmmHmmm. It would seem to me that Bill Barr would have to refuse himself from anything having to do with Epstein as Epstein was once Barr’s father’s employee (at a school filled with young girls, no less).
27
Shame on Ms. Maxwell for helping Epstein procure young girls. This is proof that social standing and money mean nothing in terms of character and integrity.
40
I am quite sure the yacht I saw tied up in the East River by the Water Club in the 80s (sometimes next to the yacht of Donald Trump) had "La Belle Ghislaine" painted on it. Maybe was a later boat with different name -- in any event "La Belle Ghislaine" does not, I believe, translate to Lady Ghislaine, but to Beautiful Ghislaine. Maybe Robert Maxwell was as obsessed with the "beauty" of his daughter as Donald Trump is with his daughter.
58
@ellienyc Chilling observation, and to go one step further, Ghislaine groomed by her father so as an adult fell into the role of grooming others?
36
@Milo Now you are writing fiction!
7
@Lolo Truth is even stranger than fiction.
18
This article is actually something of a bizarre whitewash. Describes Maxwell as an alleged facilitator, fixer, etc.,-- then mentions much later and in passing that she has been accused of directly assaulting underage girls. That should have been in the story lead.
I don't understand why Maxwell has not been charged with trafficking.
104
@Linda Maybe her participation is still being investigated.
6
I get the feeling she acquired her skills very early in life. Ah, the rich and their ceaselessly interesting lives.
27
@Richard Scott I remember reading somewhere that there is a surprisingly high percentage of women who were sexually abused by father-figures in their childhood and who grew up to become facilitators if not direct abusers of young girls. This story lends credence to that theory.
24
No mention at all in this article about why this wealthy white British woman was allowed to come to the U.S. and live here for so long. Did she have American citizenship when she arrived?? Because she’s surely no refugee. You can bet that if she had been a poor brown or black person who came here and set up shop for years and years, that issue would have been addressed by the reporter.
172
@JT
Rich people have no issue immigrating legally. An investor visa goes for $500K-$1 million now, and that sum was significantly smaller back in the 1980s.
As a British citizen, she didn't even need that. They are automatically granted visa-free access to the US for 90 day periods. If she was an employee of Epstein's company, that makes it all the easier to secure a green card.
48
@JT Excellent point, but rich or affluent seeming people from all over the world come here all the time and never really leave. They even get B1 B2 visas, they are "in business"....
23
@Viv
Proving my point. That it is aparently so easy for rich white foreigners to make America their home (when according to Trump, America is "full), that no one even questions their right to be here.
30
Sadly, I believe more enablers will be uncovered.
56
@Roger
It will only be sad if the enablers are not uncovered and prosecuted.
30
The rich and powerful must be laughing at the rest of us. That is, until they get caught; but even then, in many cases, they get away with crime.
64
OK, so my money is on Elizabeth Hurley, now 54, to play Ghislaine Maxwell in the movie.
Or, if they want to play up the younger, more "glamorous" aspects, Kate Beckinsale, now only 45, would knock that one out-of-the-park.
Get Alec Baldwin to take a star-turn as Trumpty Dumpty, and we could have a great bromance movie -- replete with all the twisted Lolita stuff.
The Trump/Epstein party at Mar-A-Lago (with just the two of them with the 30 girls) will be box-office gold. Get Alex Acosta to make a guest appearance, while we're at it.
All I ask is that someone release this in 2019, so that it's eligible for the 2020 awards season.
136
@Robert J. Godfrey
Will it be on Netflix?
12
@Robert J. Godfrey-Good idea. And who will play the ethics challenged AG DoJ William Barr and Kirkland and Ellis lawyers? Lots of "graft" to go around--and I suspect large mysterious payments. Epstein liked to spread a lot of money around.
25
@Robert J. Godfrey “From Dalton to Marion”.
A story of behind the scenes goings on in the Upper Eastside (auditions galore), West Palm Beach ( a party for two), Florida, New Mexico (refuge for pedophiles), tropical island sex seminars by famous scientists, randy royals, short eyes politicians and business men and women, travel on Lolita Airlines, see Victorias’ Secrets like you never dreamed of.
A Block Buster that will make Henry Miller look lame, make 50 Shades of Grey look pale, make Bill Cosby look wholesome.
Starring in the roles of their lives ....
28
The Lady of the House...I thought it was about AOC!
23
One hopes she will also eventually face justice.
It's hard to believe she wasn't instrumental in destroying dozens or hundreds of young girls' lives.
87
As the saying goes.............
"A man is judged by the company he keeps."
Most people know that "Hedge Fund Manager" is just code for maximum, shady profits for the wealthy, by stealing private corporations' assets and fleecing expropriated public coffers to fund them. This occupation used to be called merchant banking, but that got a bad rep. They didn't like being called "asset strippers" and "corporate raiders" so they moved onto calling themselves investment bankers, but that got a bad rep too, so they then moved onto being called portfolio managers and finally the glamorous sounding hedge funds.
Epstein was just another bit player, in a long line of confidence tricksters, using people's greed and gullibility to enrich himself and his patrons; much like the current occupant of the white house.
123
@Anthony Taylor
No amount of money or conniving can remove the stain on the life of one devoid of nobility. An overview of the escapades that punctuated the life of Trump's grandfather Frederich Trump/Drumpf, banished from Germany after fleeing mandatory conscription, required of all citizens in 1885, makes an interesting read. After an illegal immigration he set up shop in Seattle and pursued a queasy path. The Dairy, a restaurant in the red light district advertised food, liquor and "rooms for ladies". The instincts naturally fell to Trump's father and then a new host, The Donald. These folks have a strange mutual attraction to the Epsteins and Maxwells of the world. Their devious transactions are not unique, only complicated but all follow the same pattern. When you see these folks coming, take a pass. The stain will never come off.
46
It seems that focusing on stuff like this, which can be interpreted in different ways, dilutes the topic of the evils that racism causes. If this can only be interpreted in one way, that would seem to be very narrow minded, and it doesn’t seem that promoting narrow minded thinking is conducive for eradicating racism.
@Tim Phillips, what in God’s green earth does this newsworthy, interesting story have to do with racism?
44
@Tim Phillips wrong article.
35
@Tim Phillips
Seems Mr. Phillips thinks that condemning the sexual exploitation of children is "narrow-minded" (as the priests might describe it "moral panic") or any type of outrage or misogyny against girls or women is permissible as long as it can't be categorized as racism.
10
"It was all very careless and confused. They were careless people, Tom and Daisy--they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made."--The Great Gatsby
184
What's a girl to do when she doesn't feel liking working at a real job? She becomes a madam, or girlfriend to rich guy, or hanger-on to the elite crowd, or all three things. Ms. Maxwell had the education and family money to do anything she wanted in life. I suspect that she chose to enable Epstein because she enjoyed it and was an enthusiastic participant in the sexual games as well. What's really repugnant about it is as a woman, she had no respect or compassion for the girls she helped to exploit.
185
I hope there are tapes, photos and lots of them to arrest, convict and jail all who are involved. And I do mean all of them.
108
@KB Every one of Epstein's rooms in that $77,000,000 mansion was wired for CCC and audio, except probably the one room he took the girls to personally.
Nice work if you can get it - funded by godknowswho and getting kompromat on as many powerful people as possible.
I think we'll find that Epstein's smirk is because he knows he's got a get-out-of-jail-free card.
18
Procuring children for a pedophile is what it is. No one seems to be calling out the sexism here: if the victim children were male, there would be a very different response both from official channels and from the public. Instead of calling them small children, we call them "young girls", and the response is different; but in my opinion it should not be.
40
@Dan, huh? they were not “small children.” They were underaged teens, and they were girls. I have seen both of those descriptors used for the accusers. The “response” would not be any different if the teens allegedly abused were teenaged boys. No sexism.
21
It occurred to be that the description of Maxwell — “half ex-girlfriend, half employee, half best friend, and fixer” — could be attached to some wealthy wives I know, and even more that I know of. It’s not an uncommon thing for a couple who have a well-established, carefully cultivated social circle and lots of assets they don’t want to divvy up to come to a kind of agreement in their marriage. They stay together but lead largely separate private lives, while in public they are that fabulous, long-married duo. Meanwhile the wife manages the day-to-day details of the marital kingdom. This arrangement can go on for a long time, until one partner falls in love with someone else, or a scandal blows them apart. It makes for good copy, but there is pain behind it.
29
I would say that fits the majority shareholder of Amazon and wealthiest entrepreneur in the world to a T.
26
@Passion for Peaches No pain here, Peaches, just other lives destroyed.
5
@J House, I was indeed thinking about that couple, among many others.
6
Keep Epstein on the front page, guys. We are being told to "look over there, in that direction" but we need to keep our eyes on this and see what lies underneath.
84
Where is she now? Somewhere fairly recently , I can't recall the exact source, I read that Ghislaine Maxwell had an address in Teaneck NJ in recent years. Not sure if that is accurate... but there is a Teaneck listing for that name on the Radaris site.
14
@MaryC55 let the professionals find her. Her father’s death was suicide (most probably). When Epstein’s generous “gift” is spent, she will have options. The smart move: Sing like a mafia capo and throw yourself on the mercy of the court. And do it yesterday.
12
@Kevin
Don't worry..I'm not driving around looking for her. Hah!
I do have a feeling she will turn up very soon.
You're right about the the "smart move" for her,
but I'm puzzled by her behavior in general, and
so I don't really have a clue whether she will
make that smart move or not. Time will tell.
8
hopefully SDNY will hold her and every other person involved accountable.
28
Ghislaine Maxwell is so interesting they could write a musical about her, "Don't Call Me Madam!"
12
Epstein, Maxwell, Bill Clinton, Trump, Prince Andrew..what a list. It keeps getting better. As someone pointed out, Trump's racial comments are by design to distract from this real story. Let all the skeletons tumble out and let us not loose track of this for the sake of the taxpaying 99% and those kids.
74
@Sam I often wondered if that's what Putin has on Trump - pictures of him having sex with very young girls. That's about all I could think of that would embarrass this guy who has no shame. I think there were and are a lot of wealthy men who love being fondled by an orgy of adolescents who are being paid off not to talk. I hope they and their enablers are all exposed and shamed, inasmuch as anyone feels shame any more. Make them pay financially, socially and morally.
31
Mr. Rellie's perspective, that her father's "colorful past" made Ghislaine "interesting" is remarkably telling. Her father was a crook of the lowest order, no matter how glittering was the company he kept. Stealing the pensions of his employees, robbing them of financial security in their elder years so he could indulge his own extravagant lifestyle, is repulsive, not "colorful."
140
"half ex-girlfriend, half employee, half best friend." So the very rich are also exempt from arithmetic?
71
@John seeing that she might be inflicted with dissociative disorder, the two halves are half of that other half.
10
The evil that preyed upon children leaves me speechless. How anyone can secually abuse uoung children cannot even be fathomed. Epstein and his cohorts deserve maximum sentences. What a world.
25
The people behind the R Kelly documentary should do a similar expose of Epstein and his cohorts.
55
Reminds me of my junior high gym teacher who would famously say: “half of youze over here, half of you there, and the rest come with me...”
11
"Ms. Maxwell, now 57, helped manage Mr. Epstein’s homes, facilitate his social relationships and recruit masseuses to help satisfy his seemingly insatiable appetite for massages, according to his former employees."
Let's call this for what it is - replace the word "massages" with the words "sexually assaulting, raping, and trafficking little girls and children."
72
These tawdry folks seem to keep finding one another. Surprised she's not in Trump's cabinet.
76
@Frank In the running for Boris Johnson’s cabinet at No. 10.
17
If we read all the stories of Mr. Epstein and connect the dots it is easy to know how a racist person named Donald Trump married a woman from Slovenia. These connections would have been mind boggling a few years back, but we don't hear them during these times when our attention span compares to the lifespan of a mayfly.
31
@KC Prince Andrew was photographed hugging Heidi Klum at one of Maxwell's parties as well as alone, with his hand around Virginia Roberts's waist, then still a teenager, on Epstein's private island, with Ms. Maxwell grinning in the background. Ms. Maxwell herself was invited to Chelsea Clinton's wedding and seated very close to the aisle. The dots were connected long ago. Virginian Roberts probably knew Prince Andrew, Jeffrey Epstein, Bill Clinton and Harvey Weinstein on more than a formal basis.
11
Maxwell's actions in helping Epstein "pick up" under-aged girls was outright aiding and abetting in sex trafficking.
In fact, it is not aiding and abetting, it is is sex trafficking.
Why is still out on the loose??
51
The rich really ARE different.
12
Why do all of these people find themselves funding the Clintons, their initiatives or travel? What is it about Weinstein and Epstein with which the Clintons find such common cause?
25
It was in the early eighties in East Hampton outside a club where I asked the doorman the price of the cover charge. I could not afford it. I said the old cliche,” I guess it’s to keep the riff raff out.”
He said, “The riff raff is already inside.” How true.
113
I called the tel. no. in the yoga instructor ad and got no answer.
9
Read the book, Filthy Rich by none-other-than James Patterson. It is non-fiction and it is all about Epstein and his madam. It is a page turner. She is complicit and as guilty as he is. It begs the question, where does he get his money? The fake passport found in his NYC mansion may be a clue.
64
Yet another story that makes a strong case for a wealth tax on individuals or couples who have $50 million or more.
314
@Lester Jackson-And also extra focus on federal and local prosecutorial deals that give them a pass. Bizarrely AG William Barr’s Justice Dept. recently upheld Jeffrey Epstein’s secret wrist-slap 2007 Florida plea deal, engineered by Acosta in a June 24 determination. From the Miami Herald June 25, 2019 report: "Jeffrey Epstein plea deal must stand, prosecutors tell sex abuse victims.
Suspected sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein was handed another break by the Department of Justice on Monday when federal prosecutors rejected his victims’ efforts to throw out his plea deal and prosecute him for abusing dozens of underage girls. In the 35-page motion, filed in federal court in the Northern District of Georgia, federal prosecutors said that there is NO LEGAL BASIS TO INVALIDATE Epstein’s non-prosecution agreement — and they WARNED the federal judge in the case against doing the same."
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/state/florida/article231916968.html
32
@Lester Jackson
I'm not convinced about the merit of a wealth tax, per se.
But I do think that there should be a provision for punitive taxation as a criminal penalty for wealthy white-collar criminals convicted of financial crimes- for 10/20/30 years following their conviction, or possibly for life. Put them in an entirely different tax bracket, so to speak. With audits as easy to perform as "searchable parole and probation."
18
It's clear to me this was always a business relationship. She was never his girlfriend. Pals and co-conspirators in crime, maybe. There was never a romance between them because she was too old.
29
We might need some Fishbone diagrams/charts to keep track of all the people implicated in this evolving story - Arabian & British Royals; Politicians; Business & Media people; Lawyers & Fixers, etc. I'm pretty sure that a lot of time will be spent, and a lot of ink will be spilled, running all the salacious stories to ground and uncovering the dirty doings of many rich and famous people from all political stripes.
9
In Manhattan we’re all trained to worship the wealthy. We risk not getting paid without our utter faith. A math teacher at the posh upper east side school Dalton. That’s my guess as to where Epstein broke into his trade.
25
In looking at this sordid picture of "high society: in NT, ca 2019:
What would Edith Wharton write?
Or Tim Wolfe?
Hunter S. Thompson?
18
A journalist on French TV (France24 eng) said the other day, that he went round to Epstein's chic appartement in Paris and spoke to a neighbour who said he had left 3 days before, and answered positively when asked if he saw any young girls going in and out.
This shocked some of the other journalists on the panel. (That no one had reported it)
49
"“Her father was a swashbuckling rogue,” Mr. Mason said in an interview. "
No. He was a thief. He stole £450 million from the pensioners of his companies. He did not, as far as I know, beat old ladies over the head. There were those who died because of his theft.
79
Maxwell is going to jail.
40
@Scott D
Keep it positive. Thanks
8
There are very few saints in the world, and none in this story. I don't see a whole lot of difference between the jerk from Coney Island masquerading as a finance genius who paid teen girls to get him off, the society woman who abetted him because she desperately wanted to maintain her lifestyle, the people who came to their dinner parties because they desperately wanted to advance their own social status, and the woman who claims she was "forced" into sexual activity with Epstein at 16, for which she was paid $200 and which was "the beginning of an arrangement that lasted several years." She gets more of my sympathy than the others, but no one's a saint here. Everybody was "working it," one way or another.
32
@James The 16 year old girl can be distinguished just a bit. A young person that age is immature and does not know very much about the world or the capacity of people to use and throw other people away. In other words, she's vulnerable. So she gets a lot of my sympathy and I don't think she was working anything.
40
The underage girls should be given your sympathy and should not be judged as harshly as the adults preying on them.
35
@James 16 year olds are still children. They’re striving to grow up and many to survive. Not supposed to be saints.
32
Life styles of the rich and famous we are all supposed to drool over and aspire to. No thank you.
Truthfully they come across as the lowest of low.
40
He is a narcissist who used his talent for deception to get considerable wealth, and profoundly hurting others- in this case young girls - until he got caught in is own web, and then caught again. She is the servile, needy, wannabe aristocrat who would do anything to keep the lifestyle to which she was accustomed, enabling and feeding the vices of the one person who had the means and ability to keep her in that lifestyle. In her world, geisha-like subservience to a wealthy man, getting him what he desires whilst getting in return a life of luxury was totally acceptable. Nevermind the emotional and physical damage it cost. Throwing money at their young, vulnerable victims made it even more forgivable: they were being paid for a service. They were being helped! So no guilt there either. Lesson learned for Madam Ghislaine?That privilege, wealthy male privilege can help you easily glide through life, so bury doubts, find the perfect technique, the docile, enabling purveyor approach and make best use of it. Cue Trump, Harvey Weinstein, Bill O Reilly, Al Franken, Roy Price, Louis CK, Kevin Spacey; Heck, even Bill Cosby -despite not belonging to the even 'more exclusive' WHITE male privilege club-. The sad part is that even though we watch them tumble down like puppets, they will be back, and as with all narcissists, they will see all of this as the world doing something to them they did not deserve: because their greatness was helping the world! I mean: "Que demande le peuple?".
11
I hope that 45 uses the theme song from the Apprentice because it is the theme of his and his friends 7 deadly sinse: MONEY, MONEY, MONEY, MONEY
5
I grew up with a disgraced, criminal father in a deeply dysfunctional family. He didn’t jump off his yacht but there were times when I wanted to push him. The notion of the “sins of the father being visited on the [daughter]” is quite real. I paid for his transgressions and still do. I considered suicide, but then I moved to a different country, defined myself on my own terms, worked hard, and eventually picked up the pieces and carried on.
My life isn’t perfect. But you know what I never did? Become a madam or a sex trafficker. Childhood trauma and circumstance isn’t an excuse for becoming morally bankrupt. Maxwell could’ve easily made an honest living with her Oxbridge education and social capital. She chose instead to prey upon vulnerable girls and to do the dirty work for a depraved, evil man. She gets less than zero sympathy from me.
1304
@Prodigal Son BIG Congrats to you for avoiding the pitfalls of having a lousy, criminal father. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been to grow up with that sort of parent. So glad that you were able to "pick up the pieces" , and then move your own life forward in a very positive way. Not sure at this point why Ghislaine Maxwell made her clearly very poor choices ...
I believe that Ms Maxwell is one of eight children of Robert Maxwell. I have no idea what the others have been up to, but I don't recall reading any criminal reports on any of her siblings.
54
@Prodigal Son-You deeply paid for your father's sins and became a better person. Hopefully Ghislaine and other staff Epstein kept installed concealed cameras in numerous places on his properties to record sexual activity with underage girls by prominent people for criminal purposes, such as blackmail…at least one lawsuit alleges. Let's hope all of the camera footage survived.
https://archive.fo/20150129122854/http://au.ibtimes.com/prince-andrew-might-have-been-caught-tape-sex-slave-1407641#selection-1397.166-1405.155
https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000158-26b6-dda3-afd8-b6fe46f40000
34
@MaryC55
Thank you for the kind words! I don’t mean to make myself sound like a martyr or some sort of Horatio Alger story—I’m certainly not. Just to say that we all have options in life, even if it doesn’t always seem that way. I recognize some of myself in G. Maxwell’s story, and I’m grateful things have turned out more or less ok for me. Thanks again, and all best. —Prodigal Son
89
These kinds of men seem to always have willing female enablers, Keith Raniere & Allison Mack being recent examples. I suppose the female face is useful in luring impressionable victims.
15
What kind of hold did he have on her, I wonder?
It's an odd equation, rich, educated, well placed Brit with Jewish guy from New York who came from nothing? At the end of the day, most Brits would think Epstein was below their notice, even if he was super rich. She would have fooled around with him and then gone back to Downton.
Was it sexual? Was he blackmailing her?
Mysterious.
6
@Concerned Mother, “hold”? I don’t think either had a “hold” on the other. It appears to be more a case of each providing what the other needed. He needed an entree into society, she needed the accoutrements of wealth. It was mutual exploitation.
37
Not so mysterious. She grew up in one of the most class conscious countries in the world: the UK. Brits may be polite, charming etc. but the upper class is also ruthless and cruel. Believe me, even before her father’s disgrace, he was considered an arriviste at best and a thug at worst. Reinventing herself in NYC was a smart move. But now it’s coming full circle.
27
It appears that her father forgot to teach her right from wrong.
7
@OldBoatMan
Bob, bob,bob, Maxwell obviously never knew right from wrong to teach.
7
Yes, "...there are mounting questions..." Thank you for this report but you've only skimmed the surface. No in-depth view of the Acosta blanket immunity, the odd death of aide Alfredo Rodriguez (re the infamous black book and hints of witnesses), and especially the Epstein/Maxwell/Trump link, including the Jane Doe court filings in CA and NY re the Epstein/Trump joint rape. And please stop referring to their "sexual activity"...sex with a teen/tweens is by law and all morality, rape.
36
Oh, my! I’m on my way to look at a coop on Park Avenue while reading about this disgusting saga. I’m traveling by city bus and there are NO bus stops anywhere on Park Avenue. Guess public transit is offensive “to the manor born”, so they make their servants schlepp a long block east or west to catch a bus. What could I have been thinking?! I don’t *want* to live among the rich and morally bankrupt - even if it does have my longed for washer/dryer.
18
@Theo there are bus stops on Park Avenue.
6
Frankly, it might also be linked to Intelligence. If the Deep State knows, or did know, or was involved.... it may be why no one wants to touch this with a proverbial 10' pole.
How does the CIA get involved in a child trafficking case inside the United States where they are banned from operating?
Why does Epstein share an airplane N-number with the State Department and the CIA?
Why are the files sealed and Epstein's accomplices shielded from prosecution?
Who told Acosta to back off and that Epstein was above his pay grade?
Why didn't FBI raid Epstein's island estate?
Did Epstein traffic women across state lines, a federal crime?
If so, why wasn't he prosecuted?
36
As a woman who has worked to earn her own money starting at age 16, I am at a loss to understand why she wouldn't use her considerable contacts and social skills to get a real job for herself. Dignity, independence, pride -- versus shame, shame, and shame.
678
@Constance: I think that probably it is because gold-diggers don't give a hoot about "shame, shame, and shame." As long as they get what they want, any shame goes with the territory. And they are so busy thinking about money, and how to get it, and how to keep it, that they never figure into their schemes that any shame is going to catch up with them. And, I would imagine, so many times it doesn't. A lot of them flaunt their shame, like a badge of honor.
66
@Constance
as a completely unevidenced take, the impression I go is that she was young woman, spoiled by a luxurious upbringing, but none the less one who was both the apple of her father's eye, and a daughter who had learned to please her powerful father who found a new older man to please, in exchange for a luxurious lifestyle.
71
@Constance Not too difficult to understand. The cause is Laziness pure and simple.
29
We can't wait to see the movie...
9
@Timit
Every day this story gets more and more involved ...It might have to be a series.
10
Interesting to see that Prince Andrew was a close friend of Epstein. Evidently not a Prince Charming. Quite the reverse.
8
I can't wait to see the photographs that are certain to come to light. Wonder who will be exposed??
7
Was it Dorothy Parker? Fran Lebowitz?
"If you want to know how God feels about money, just look at the people he gave it to."
27
@printer
It was Parker. Also, just for kicks and giggles,
I like to have a martini, Two at the very most. After three I'm under the table, after four I'm under my host
Dorothy Parker.
31
Gishlaine Maxwell may have lived in a mansion, but it never belonged to them. It was rented to her father. Her father Robert Maxwell was a very early version of Donald Trump. Bombastic, noisy, self centered. He was also a liar. He run a company in a dishonest way, deceived many people and was publicly disallowed to run a company again. However, through his contacts somehow he did manage to acquire Daily Mirror. for £10.00. It was loosing money and they wanted to get rid of it. However, it transpired that he bought because he wanted to get his hands on the pension fund. He wanted to use to cover his enormous debts. He lost the money on a stock market, which resulted in loss of pension for thousands of Mirror 's employees. He was found dead floating in the sea , not far from his yacht, near Canarys. Not until he was burried in Israel, did the public learned that he was an Israeli citizen and possibly Mosad agent. There was a speculation that they killed him, because he blackmailed them, to pay his debts. Integrity was not applicable to him.
He was a Slovak.
40
I wonder what kind of visa she has, was she a “tourist” who just stayed on. Does she have a SS number and pay taxes?
27
"Ms. Maxwell ... help[ed] satisfy his seemingly insatiable appetite for massages" - seriously, NYT? Stop the politeness and spit it out in plain English - she knowingly procured these children, which is what they were, so Jeffrey Epstein could RAPE them; - massage was the lead-up, but lets not mince words, his goal was rape, not massage. She and he participated in raping minors together according to multiple allegations by these girls. Any sexual act with a minor is legally considered rape; it need not be literal intercourse.
She's thereefore a child rapist as is he.
43
Birds of a feather flock together.
7
Debauchery, pure and simple.
12
Got another word for her -- "accomplice".
23
A strange way to fulfill each other’s needs, for sure. Being poor sure simplifies things often.
7
I guess with Miss Maxwell the rotting apple didn't fall far from the tree.
9
In the spring of 2009, as the Great Recession was still full of momentum, the incomparable Bill Moyers interviewed one of America's literacy treasures, Wendell Barry, in his 80's and still infinitely productive.
As the interview progressed, Moyers asked Barry his thoughts on the root causes of The Great Recession under way. I must paraphrase Barry's perfectly observant response.
"Bill, I believe the problem stems from the fact that too many people want to make a killing, instead of making enough."
Now, how's that for insight. For a couple of decades, college students who had planned on careers in medicine or science, or education, interpreted the fast-and-easy money being made on Wall Street as the better alternative. A few made it big. Many didn't make the cut. If they didn't have that Gordon Gheko "Greed is good," focus, the likely headed home and back to college.
The point is, I think, Mr. Epstein was one of the opportunists who also happened to be the perfect sociopath with a gift for the Big Con. This pedaphilia was nothing new as a result of his growing wealth. Rather, the new wealth allowed him to pursue his inner demons — the pedaphilia that had lurked within him for decades.
Like his need for wealth, sexual predation has always been about power and control for Epstein. We have seen it in Mr. Trump, as well. If the witness come forward, justice may prevail after all.
40
The wealthy elites in any country just want to do whatever it takes to maintain the status quo.
Nothing has changed since F. Scott Fitzgerald published the Great Gatsby in 1925.
Tom and Daisy Buchanan lived careless, indifferent lives trampling over every little person unfortunate enough to cross their path.
Tom and Daisy Buchanan disappeared as soon as there was a mess to clean up, because the elites understand at a cellular level that messes are for Little People.
Likewise, taxes, rules, regulations and laws are also reserved exclusively for the Little People.
This is not a Democrat/Republican divide: Trump appears to have been a friend while Bill Clinton apparently traveled on 26 or 27 occasions in Epstein’s private plane.
The real divide in this nation isn’t Democrat versus Republican or white versus black or any of the other divisions the corporate media promote on the airwaves.
The real divide is between the 1% and the 99%, as well as all the little people desperate to claw their way into the 1%. Acosta was one of those people willing to make any compromise necessary to secure his ticket to belong to this amoral, reprehensible tribe.
Becoming a prosecutor is often an excellent stepping stone to the Grifter class.
The media does an excellent job of obfuscation, but the little people might catch on eventually.
It would be nice if we could reform the system before it blows up on us, but it’s hard to see that happening.
45
I bet legal bills from Ms. Maxwell's lawyers somehow manage to find her. If the madam's employer, Mr. Epstein is somehow granted bail his address will likely also become, "no permanent residence." Interpol should be involved since substantial sums were transferred by a man under investigation for sex trafficking minors, to his associates internationally.
23
Unfortunately she will never be brought to justice. She is most likely In the UK, her exact whereabouts unknown. The UK does have an extradition treaty with the UK, but she is not some hacker who broke into some NSA network, she is a bona fide member of the upper classes, and they generally protect their own, just like in the US.
13
@HG Also, let’s face it, she knows too much and could spill mountains of damning evidence of collusion and debauchery about too many people in the 1%, whose reputations would be blackened by association, despite their philanthropic whitewashing. My guess is she knows there’s a target on her back from many quarters; I doubt she’ll ever be seen again, except maybe washed up on a beach in the Cayman Islands. In fact she has probably already been ‘disappeared’.
7
To describe Robert Maxwell as “a swashbuckling rogue” is rather akin to calling Hannibal Lecter a picky eater. Maxwell was once described by a high court judge as a man who should never again be in charge of a public company and yet he went on to buy, and destroy, several more. Not for nothing was his nickname The Bouncing Czech.
49
That’s an interesting photo choice at the top of the story. It shows a disturbing possessiveness in Epstein, and a kind of knowing, “cat that ate the canary” look from Maxwell. I’ve always hated it when men hook an arm around a woman's neck like that. Even if the “hook” is a prelude to a kiss on the forehead, the gesture triggers, in me, a feeling of panic. So I am totally creeped out by that shot. Kudos to the photo editor.
37
Let’s not forget the soothing tones of a practiced upper class British accent. Many Americans seem to automatically believe that it infers some kind of superiority, charm or intelligence.
38
Releasing Epstein on bail may afford him the opportunity to hide assets that would otherwise be confiscated in criminal and civil matters should he be found guilty, destroy or remove criminal evidence he may have at one of his other known residences that have not yet been searched by the FBI/NYPD joint task force (there are four that the government knows about, but there could be others), conspire with a 3rd party (e.g. G. Maxwell) to hide or destroy evidence, or make plans to permanently flee, given his liquidity (it is reported 'piles of cash and diamonds' were found in the search of his Manhattan residence).
It would be insanity for a judge to allow Epstein all of these options.
16
If you are asking for someone to explain the source of Epstein's apparent wealth, remember that over the last 20 years the framework of modern financial markets has been shaped in a way that favors big players with an inside track. Advances in technology have done more than just eliminate American jobs. Computer programs that execute trades in a millisecond rake in huge profits for certain investors. Combine that technical advantage with lax government oversight of market manipulation and it's easy to see how someone with access to insider information (possibly from the White House) can rack up vast profits in a relatively short period of time.
50
You are giving Epstein too much credit...like Madoff, there is no evidence he made his money or money for anyone else trading stocks or commodities. More likely, he hid assets for wealthy people in exchange for ‘favors’, and may have resorted to blackmail, given his friends in very high places.
12
When Hollywood casts for the roles of the Ghislaine and Jeffrey in the sure-to -be -made film, I think an animated cartoon should be seriously considered.
12
Explain to me this legal maneuver where rich people dodge serious criminal charges by settling quietly with the victims.
Does a judge actually approve such settlements?
63
@gaslighted
Those settlements were made with attorneys - and not in a court setting, so judges would not have to review.
What I wonder ( it applies to Trump settlements as well): if the one paying has committed a crime, how can s/he invoke a nondisclosure agreement to keep victims from talking? This is not about trade secrets - its about criminal behavior.
17
@gaslighted
That isn't what happens. You can't settle a criminal case in exchange for money; not allowed. What you are reading about is situations where the alleged victims of a crime, who also have civil (financial) claims against the alleged criminal. The alleged criminal can pay $ to settle civil claims, but not the criminal claims; only the government can settle (plea-bargain) the criminal claims.
Moreover, while an NDA can impose a legally obligation to not disclose the subject of the NDA, the existence of such an NDA does not preclude the person who signed the NDA from being subpoenaed in a criminal case. In other words, if Epstein pays $ to Victim X to settle her civil claims, and that settlement includes an NDA, if the prosecutors subpoena Victim X to testify at Epstein's criminal trial, the NDA does not excuse her compliance, and Epstein can't argue that such testimony constitutes a breach of the NDA.
10
I guess what they say is true, the rich really are different.
95
@Marc Jordan
Yes, indeed, I could manage three "massages" a day only in my teens, twenties and thirties! The rich seem to have found the Fountain of Youth.
21
Many ask how can this woman live with herself. She lives with herself because she sees only herself in the equation. She rationalizes using girls as play toys because they were a means to her end of power and money. She settled lawsuits when it became apparent those girls, now women with lawyers, were going to expose her criminality. Settlement included non-disclosure agreements - a perfect powerful shield for criminals. Prosecutors in the original case, all participants who socialized, or worse, with Epstein and Maxwell propping up their criminal activities by lending fame and legitimacy to these people, and anyone else who was a party to using and destroying girls should all be prosecuted. Princes, presidents, socialites - you disgust me.
221
You have put your finger on the root of it...these girls are mere objects to be used and discarded by Epstein and Maxwell for their own narcissistic sexual pleasure, and both are certain they are above the law, given their access to vast resources to either shut them up or provide a 'dream team' legal defense to put the 'fix' in with career opportunists like Acosta. One of the reasons the FBI/NYPD found materials which may be criminal offenses within Epstein's mansion is because Epstein was sure he was untouchable.
23
Lock her up!
118
This is gross class, exploitation. Miss Maxwell deserves a cell too, just like Jeff.
134
Sick. Maxwell, is as guilty as Epstein! Hope justice comes for them both, as well as those “guests” who enjoyed their time in his homes. Donald J Trump, for one!
155
Like father, like daughter.
61
Entitled, rich, white woman avoids criminal charges. Is anyone surprised?
153
@Jacquie and to think Martha went to jail for telling one lie to the SEC.
17
@K yes but Martha did test positive for nutmeg.
9
@K Good point about Martha.
2
More proof that big money can corrupt. It doesn't have to, but often it does. Humans have the right of choice.
52
@Big Daddy
Based on the number of criminal arrests and convictions in this country it appears that no money, as well as small and medium money corrupts just as well than big money. Then again what is small money to some may be big money to others.
1
The non-disclosure agreement that protects her was executed by prosecutor who was breaking the law (by not informing the victims) that they were being given a free pass.
It should be considered null and void and rescinded. Get the information as to where Epstein stashed the camera footage he uses for blackmail and extortion. You know it's in that mansion somewhere.
137
@Anon There is more than one mansion, but I believe the FBI did completely clean out the New York mansion when they broke through the huge doors last week.
There is reported to be locked material in his home on his private island near St Thomas.
Then, he has a New Mexico ranch home AND the Palm Beach mansion..
Those are his homes that have been mentioned in press reports that I've seen ..there may be others ?
7
Imagine the damage she could wreak if she were caught and forced to become an informant for the prosecution.
108
Too good for her. His victims were her victims first.
9
How can anyone have that much more money than most and not be immoral? Anyone comfortable living so much easier than the masses has to have convinced themself they deserve it. The other option is to know full well they don't deserve so much more than others, but simply not care. I've seen it happen. A dear friend of modest means was generous and altruistic until coming into extreme wealth. She grew uncomfortable socializing with anyone not wealthy. She still gave some to "worthy causes," but her attitude toward those not rich became noticeably more judgmental, dismissive and complacent. How else could she enjoy having three homes, luxury automobiles and household staff? I think most philanthropy is done to make the donor feel better. The rich are willing to give some, but not so much that they lose their spot at the top of the heap. And they certainly don't want to change the system that got them where they are. I assume only some rich people are sex predators. But the existence of the very wealthy is itself obscene.
87
@ARNP. Interesting that you describe such a transformation of people when they achieve wealth. I remember a research study described on PBS NewsHour where individuals were observed in various scenarios ranging in age from children with candy and toys to adults playing Monopoly. In each case it was shown that when subjects had just a moderate amount of “assets” they tended to share with those having less, but when they acquired a large portion (and even worse the majority) of the assets, they became less willing to share and even covetous of others. Monopoly players with the large real estate holdings often became ruthless in their dealings with those having to mortgage their properties.
44
@Btbost. A very good reason for wealth taxes, especially given the extreme disparity of incomes today.
34
Another case where money trumped morality. No surprise here.
47
@Carlton-- Was "trumped morality" a play on words?
4
Our base animal nature trumps morality. The rich just suffer fewer repercussions.
1
One can only hope that federal investigators conduct a thorough investigation of this woman. If she is found to have knowingly recruited underage girls for Epstein's sexual purposes, she should face criminal prosecution for said activities. No one who actively assisted this monster should get a free pass.
66
Interesting how Bill Clinton keeps downplaying his relationship with Epstein and yet he invited Ms. Maxwell to his daughter's wedding. I'm sure we still have much to learn about Clinton and Epstein's friendship.
153
If everyone, including, Clinton isn’t required to face the same legal system, fairly and justly exposed for their behavior, there can be no true path forward from this as a nation that values civil and racial justice.
There will always be those who feel the Clintons, et al, live above the law and further and possibly permanently divide this country.
I hope for integrity and transparency that will bring healing of our national soul. Anything less will continue to move us into an increasingly toxic and vulnerable future.
19
Yeah, the Clintons are the important story here, not sex trafficking and getting away with it by the rich and powerful, abetted by Trump's "swamp-draining" Labor Secretary. Let's keep our eye on the real story, the Clintons running the world from the back of a pizza parlor. That's the truth to the Fox News crowd.
25
@LadyofYork
Yes, that struck me too.
4
Flying a 15-year-old across state lines? How come the word "kidnapping" is never mentioned?
And wouldn't we all like to know what happens to all the money donated by supporters of the TerraMar Project now that it has "ceased operations"?
195
@Frank F. The old Mann Act has been updated and would seem to make it a federal crime to transport a child across state lines for purposes of prostitution and pornography. I know nothing about the law however and don’t have any idea if it could be used here.
10
@Bashh, I take your point, but would like to point out: it isn't "prostitution" if it's a child who hasn't yet reached the age of consent. These girls weren't prostitutes. Any child transported across state boundaries for sexual purposes has been kidnapped and raped; she has not been "prostituted."
14
It's amazing the level some women will sink to just to avoid working for a living-even when they have an Oxford education and a long list of connections. A lifetime of hoovering only to end up homeless and hunted. Snicker.
63
Every day, more depravity exposed. No shame, no morals, no conscience. I guess only the peons pay for their sins.
73
My life may or may not have amounted to much, but at least I'm not a professional hanger-on. Or procurer, or abuser, or whatever it turns out she is.
113
You’re awesome. I mean it.
6
@Earthling
Then again, she might turn out to be proven innocent.
2
@Mark Shyres
One is not proven innocent: in out the legal system, one is innocent of a crime until proven guilty. HUGE difference.
And one can be found to be at fault, and have committed a wrong in civil proceedings, and liable for damages, with evidence insufficient to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Whatever services she performed for the man, she was omni-present in his life, acted as his hostess, and per these reports, managed much of his social affairs - beyond procuring new flesh. How likely is it that some one that enmeshed in his life was ignorant of his proclivities?
3
Yet more proof that money and class may be mutually exclusive.
101
Everything that appears in the news these days is either salacious or cruel. It is important that we protect everything that is good.
68
@merrytrare
It seems, by the tone of the article, that this all was pretty good for Epstein (while it lasted). But nothing really lasts, does it?
1
Valuing integrity over wealth in our society will be a good start.
#NotMeUs
2
As a girl, I was a latchkey kid from an alcoholic household. I was prey, from a young age, for older men. Men who acted like they cared, who gave me attention. It sickens me how many men ( and women) participate in the exploitation of innocence and vulnerability. It’s world wide/ in every country- when will the world care about the girls ( and boys) sold around the world daily To satisfy the dark appetites of the lost souls of men. The damage they do is lifelong-
525
I wonder how many of the rich and powerful who consider abusing their position will think twice because of the NY Times,,,,,, we, the little people, say thanks.
226
@bob ranalli And because of Julie Brown at the Miami Herald.
239
@bob ranalli
Don't know that true narcissists who have predacious proclivities ever "consider" anyone but themselves so I am not optimistic there will be deterrence factor based on the Epstein case. Because Bernie Madoff sits in prison with nothing and, more importantly, his children tragically gone, has financial fraud stopped? Both Maxwell and Epstein are very sick, selfish, off the charts DSM level abusers who believe they will never be caught--and but for Trump cabinet member Acosta being involved, they were almost right. If Acosta's involvement had not drawn eye balls and outrage to this case - they likely would have avoided any further consequences.
9
@Steve
And almost solely because of Julie Brown and Miami Herald!
29
Maintaining her ill gotten social status, the British elites trying to stay important while having no real social function in this entire world. Carry on!
99
@Intheknow
In the company of a man of no important social function spreading his "ill-gotten gains" around in an attempt to purchase "importance." These people are just a sad sub-set of the governing swamp.
42
No need to bring racism into this. It’s the same with every elite with a system that treats them as above the law.
2
Rich people don't care about morals.
That is how they get rich. It is a pity
a women who grew up in 53 room
mansion, went to Oxford ended up
being an enabler for the sexual
escapades of men of highly questionable character. she could have easily become a banker on wall street
peddling mortgaged based securities
and surely very successfully with her charm and social skills. She would
have been immune from any prosecution. What a waste of talent.
84
How do such people lose their moral compass? Or did they never have one, grow up believing they were entitled to whatever they could get? Do such people indeed rule the world? A nauseating thought.
97
@Diane - Oh yes, they do, and they think you are not entitled to question them. They think they are superior and the rest of us are there to enrich them.
50
@Diane from observation i would offer that a young person who has a beloved parent fall from grace in a dramatic way, such as was the plight of Ms. Maxwell’s father, might become confused in her loyalties which can cause endless misery and defensive behavior.
3
Trump's recent racist tweet storm against members of Congress may very well have been planned in an attempt to distract from this story.
Trump seems to be in the thick of this sordid criminal tale. And a lot of wealthy, powerful men are going to be exposed when all is said and done.
298
@LAnd they will suffer few consequences. And be allowed to retire to their mansions and offshore bank havens.
50
@L
Trump's recent racist tweet storm against members of Congress may IS AN OBVIOUS attempt to distract from this story.
19
@L
Give it a rest already, please. Not everything is about Trump.
4
Part ex, part employee, part recruiter, part fixer ... hmmm. I think the term for this is "Madam".
123
Expect more outrageous statements from the low-class loser-in chief as more information is released about the people involved and the case gets closer to trial.
91
It's all so sickening. That a woman could 'recruit' teenage girls, knowing full well what would happen to them just goes to show that evil doesn't care about gender.
I hope she is thrown in prison for a very long time. I hope she loses whatever money she has acquired, whatever good reputation she had gained by hanging around with 'the beautiful and well-connected'.
And all of these well-connected people who knew what was going on because they had to know, they have shown themselves and we know who and what they are, too.
I hope they all come tumbling down - the Clintons, the Trumps, the Dershowitzs, the Prince Andrews of this world. I hope they all come tumbling down. Beyond disgusting.
217
How powerful could the patriarchy remain if it wasn’t for complicit, enabling toadies like Ms. Maxwell who willingly deliver young girls to slavery and abuse just to be invited to fancy parties and for a few pieces of filthy lucre? Every woman involved in enabling these crimes should face justice as well.
141
@Anon no oppressive system worth the name survives without recruiting some members of marginalized groups to be enforcers, overseers, house-servants, Aunt Lydia's, soccer moms and the like. They are given just enough stake in the system and glimpse of what awaits them behind door number two, and then they will brutally put down anyone who wants to overthrow the system.
11
For the majority of people who live in 7 room houses, when we read this article the question "How did he/she/they not know what was going on"? But when your home has over 30 rooms I guess you could claim ignorance.
The rich live differently for sure but that does not absolve them from living a law abiding and respectful life. It is not out of bounds to think that Ms. Maxwell knew exactly what Epstein was up to and that she did facilitate his assaults.
She should be interviewed by the SDNY and then charged if the facts warrant. It sure looks like this gruesome twosome were working together to feed Epstein's disgusting and abusive lust.
43
I could not finish reading this horrid story because I did not have a receptacle in case I needed to throw up.
I hope Ms Maxwell faces a jury sometime soon and then spends the rest of her days, on this earth in a jail cell where she belongs.
84
It appears that this person was a human trafficker, where’s the indictment?
196
I simply do not comprehend how this woman was never indicted or charged as an accessory. There are plenty of people who are charged with the same crime as the perpetrator- by simply being in the midst.
She "ran" his houses and seemingly every aspect of his prolific Massages; but knew nothing and saw nothing.
This woman was a high-end Madam (like Miss "Kitty" on Gunsmoke).
72
@Candlewick Don't recall Miss Kitty employing children in her establishment.
7
@Candlewick
Please don't insult Mis Kitty, a saloon proprietor who at least had some character. Maxwell is a bottom feeder, the lowest of the lowest.
13
@nicole H
Well, I don't know, some of the girls Miss Kitty employed seemed to be pretty young.
It's a big club,and you ain't in it. - George Carlin
45
The concept of a madam is obviously not new, yet it still boggles my mind to think of the mindset of such women - to be able to repeatedly betray one's own gender in this manner is so utterly grotesque. If even a fraction of the accusations against her prove true, she is indeed a degenerate monster like her equally repulsive boss/friend/erstwhile boyfriend.
73
Occupy an upper east side townhouse, operate a not-for-profit, and buy your way onto the TED Talk stage and you can petty much skate your way through a lot of shady behavior, it seems.
89
I would be very interested to see The Times further investigate Bill Clinton's trips on Epstein's private plane. Where are the manifestos?
50
Don’t forget to include Donald Trump, Woody Allen and Allen Dershowitz.
20
I'd be very interested in Fox News telling the truth. Seems neither of us will get what we want.
9
The flight manifests were part of discovery in earlier court cases and are available on line. The former President and his assistant flew many times on Epstein’s aircraft ( with Secret Service retail), including Epstein’s 727, which has a private bedroom.
7
Yep, this is life among the 2%. People who have done nothing to earn it and who believe they are simply born to be rich. Who think they are important because they get themselves photographed with other "important" people. Seems like Manhattan society a la Edith Wharton's "Age of Innocence" percolates on, complete with massage tables in every room! The vapid emptiness of these people is sickening.
71
@Clarice
Regardless of innocence or guilt, it appears that neigther Epstein nor Mr. Maxwell were born especially rich.
1
@Mark Shyres I'm not sure what that has to do with anything and I do believe that Maxwell was born into the manner while Epstein, I believe was born in Queens. Rich or poor, they done did wrong!
3
I can't help but feel contempt when Ghislaine Maxwell denies any wrongdoing yet "struck confidential settlements in civil court with two women who say she participated in Mr. Epstein’s sexual exploitation of them."
Perhaps she justifies these settlements as a way of "giving back to the community".
Folks like Maxwell and Epstein speak with such arrogance and temperance yet their actions of paying off witnesses in exchange for their silence betray their own words.
I continue to find their repeated denials of any wrongdoing revolting if not insulting. They must truly believe folks are either stupid or naive.
93
My guess is that she bearded for him, for fun and profit. It will be interesting to discover whether there was some kind of trafficking (to clients) or blackmail operation at the base of Epstein's endeavors.
Without a doubt Epstein had a severe sex addiction. However, Maxwell's involvement seems to go beyond that of a typical codependent. It raises the question yet again of where, exactly, his money was coming from, and seems to reinforce theories and rumors that he was secretly videotaping encounters in order to blackmail the men involved.
Whatever the strategy or compulsion, the destruction of so many young lives without what appears to be a single wince of shame by Epstein, Maxwell & Co. is a human tragedy.
142
@Bohemian Sarah
Given the questionable sources of Epstein's wealth, I am starting to catch the inescapable stench of Bernie Madoff. Legions of forensic accountants may come into play here.
6
That photo of her at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party 2014 -- is she hugging Harvey Weinstein? Another man who refused to grow up.
41
It's a mistake to make this a matter of 'growing up'. That's what Epstein and Weinstein tell themselves. These men are predators, full grown, full blown. Girls, then women, scarred for life. Boys will be boys?
38
I can't help but feel contempt when Ghislaine Maxwell denies any wrongdoing yet "struck confidential settlements in civil court with two women who say she participated in Mr. Epstein’s sexual exploitation of them." Perhaps she justifies these settlements as a way of "giving back to the community".
Maxwell and Epstein speak with such arrogance and temperance yet their actions of paying off witnesses in exchange for their silence betray their own words.
I continue to find their repeated denials of any wrongdoing nauseating if not insulting. They must truly believe the masses are either stupid or naive.
20
Question: Should we refer to Ms Maxwell as Madam Maxwell?
34
"Last weekend — just a week after the new charges brought by New York federal prosecutors against Mr. Epstein became public — Ms. Maxwell’s nonprofit, the TerraMar Project, shut down. The website posted a message saying it was 'sad to announce that it will cease all operations'."
This Terramar Project seems to be worthy of considerably more research.
Its recent 990's (the federal tax exempt filings nonprofits are required to make) from 2012 through 2015 appear to show annual contirubtions of $127,379 in 2012 and zero dollars in the three subsequent years. Indeed, in every one of the four years shown, "total functional expenses" considerably exceeded revenues, leaving Terramar with total liabilities of $540,697 at the end of 2015.
The archived copy of the nonprofit's website from this past April shows several affiliations (and includes a prominent photo on the home page of Richard Branson -- who owns his own Caribbean island, Necker Island -- with this caption: “Want to help save the ocean? Join us and become TerraMar Citizens”).
Curiously, Ms. Maxwell's doesn't seem to appear anywhere at the website, including under the sections labeled "Meet Our Team" or "Meet Our Board" or "The Ocean Council".
How about some journalistic follow through on what this organization was actually doing?
References:
https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/terramar-project/
https://web.archive.org/web/20190423153437/https://theterramarproject.org/
159
@George W.
Thanks for doing the footwork on that. It is time, actually,for the government to rethink the entire 501-503-C,"charities" which so often seem nothing but tax evasion schemes and vanity projects or political wolf-PACS in sheep's clothing. For every one genuine organization there seem to be at least 3 which are highly questionable. And the IRS can't keep up with the numbers; plus, risks being cast as biased if it questions how funds are used.
24
This opens up the inevitable inquiry of where Trump met the model who would become his third wife?
132
@Lynn0-Epstein claims credit...but both ran modeling agencies as a cover to procure young underage girls from foreign countries.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/10/6/1578544/-The-Untold-Story-of-Trump-Model-Management-A-Daily-Kos-Exclusive-Part-1
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/10/25/1586568/-Daily-Beast-Inside-Donald-Trump-s-One-Stop-Parties-Attendees-Recall-Cocaine-and-Very-Young-Models
Former Models for Donald Trump’s Agency Say They Violated Immigration Rules and Worked Illegally
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/08/donald-trump-model-management-illegal-immigration/
9
I saw Ms. Maxwell's dad at a meeting of our company, a small tax and information services publisher in New Jersey, In just six short months, our corporate name had changed from Simon & Schuster Tax Services, to MacMillian Professional Publishing, to Maxwell-MacMillan Professional Services, to RIA Professional Services following Mr. Maxwell's suicide.
It appears the daughter takes after her dad: ambitious, rather unsubstantial, and extremely "colorful." That said, her unholy alliance with a master sexual predator will be her permanent legacy once the law catches up with her.
How can she not be charged when she played such an instrumental role in helping to procure Epstein's stable of "massage" specialists?
So many lives ruined, all to fulfill the appetites of a master manipulator--Ghislaine was an integral part of this increasingly dark and criminal sex trafficking web.
69
Salacious is interesting? These people and the toxic and pathetic. If this constitutes social grace just imagine what constitutes their business and political acumen. D’oh!
18
Miss Ghislaine Maxwell will need to do time in prison for her actions.
31
@John McLaughlin: As we Noo Yawkers say: "From your lips to god's ear!"
2
Based on this article I'd say her deal with the devil has ended.
25
Oh puhleaze!
She is no babe-in-the-woods.
She couldn't even find the woods.
6
Inquiring grand juries want to know......
29
This reads like a Jeffrey Archer novel.......Lady Fenwick any relation to her?
5
Finally - some light shed on the dark corners where the rats scurry.
All of these predators, rich and powerful, have had the "doers" - Weinstein et al - personal "assistants" who were personally and intimately involved in these crimes. They need to share the same fate as their master.
30
Does any of this remind you of Dangerous Liaisons?
17
“Having somebody who has a colorful past, including a dad who was controversial, made her interesting.”
Prince Andrew, Chelsea Clinton, Bloomberg, Arianna Huffington, and a long list of very wealthy people apparently thought so. I have news for these people: someone who robbed his employees’ pension fund wasn’t “controversial.” He was a lowlife thief. And to hang around with a woman who was openly recruiting toys for sexual predator, not to mention joining in? What kind of people look past such repugnance or find it “interesting?”
You can find almost anything if you drag a wad of hundred dollar bills through a gated community.
70
What a superficial species we are. We are prepared to look the other way as long as we get material things and fame. Pathetic
26
With all news that fit to print, with all the stories about the world, is NYtimes caving to appease our appetite for the salacious and tell all dirty laundry of the privileged class? I think so and count me in, I am guilty and cannot wait for the next installment in tomorrow's paper...
15
@John F. Ames
Sexually trafficking and abusing teenagers over a period of decades would seem to be a major news story, whether done by a member of the "privileged class" or a rural meth dealer.
43
This “news” is not fit to print except to headline that there are no innocents featured...
1
What did Ghislaine Maxwell "know"? Everything! She procured young girls for a pedophile, for money. She should spend the rest of her life in prison.
99
@Angie.B Exactly! She was one of his procurers, there’s zero chance that she didn’t know the true nature and scope of his depredations.
34
“They were careless people, Tom and Daisy. They smashed up things and creatures and retreated into their money or their vast carelessness ...” (In today’s world, this should perhaps be on feedback loop.)
172
@Concerned
Exactly the quote I have in mind when I think of both the Clintons and Bushes.
6
@Concerned exactly. Folks like this who are brown and poor end up incarcerated or dead.
8
How these people live with themselves is a riddle for the ages.
40
If Ms. Maxwell did help Epstein obtain young girls for sex, she is a perfect example of a woman who helps a man abuse other women. The article says she attended an event for "marriage equality." Worst hypocrisy, parading as a feminist while possibly committing crimes against other women.
79
Robert Maxwell was a crook and charlatan of the first order. He did certainly have connections with intelligence networks. Some open source information on thIs. He was often called the Bouncing Czech, for a reason.
39
Now do the ties between Robert Maxwell and Semion Mogelivich of the Russian mob. The mob profits from sex trafficking and needs people to wash the dirty money. Where did Epstein get his money? What role does the Trump Org play in money laundering? We need much more reporting. Stay on it and follow the money.
117
"Guilt by Association." It appears everyone but me knew about Epstein (judging by the veiled comments by many over the years). But just because this woman knew him for years, you guys throw her under the bus. I could see if she was accused by the state or the Feds, but because of her association, you guys put the spotlight on her.
2
@BorisRoberts Don't you think that she definitely knew what was transpiring in the house she managed? Little happens in my home that I don't know.
She recruited girls for him for Heavens SAKE! What more "association" do you want to believe that she is definitely a madam for his sex obsession?
She had hidden things in her settlement for a reason!
6
The degrees of separation are so tight, they never get to Kevin Bacon.
21
I’m a lifelong conservative. Free markets. Laissez-faire. The lot.
Reading an article like this makes me want to man the barricades and sing, “The Wretched of the Earth.”
17
Too many were so easily duped by the GOP conservative ideology. It still holds sway in too many places - those untouched by empathy, reality, and truth.
9
Thank you for yet another exhaustively researched article. I can’t imagine how you unearthed a 1993 Yoga Journal ad!
37
I hope the New York Times thoroughly investigates the flight logs for Bill Clinton. Did he fly only 4 times as he has claimed or 24 times as reported by other media?
Also Acosta said Epstein "belongs to intelligence". Which foreign country's intelligence service has hundreds of our elite on video and can blackmail at them at anytime?
I think both of these stories are far more important than Maxwell's role. Perhaps the New York Times' excellent reporters are working on these stories as we speak. Perhaps the New York Times publisher received a call telling it to back off by the same person that told Acosta to back off. Time will tell.
37
@Ben Boissevain Not sure why Clinton being on a plane would be more important than the woman who allegedly procured young girls for Epstein.
20
@NSH
Because these people don't operate in isolation. You don't abuse 20+ girls over decades just for your own perversion.
Like with Madoff ponzi scheme, prominent people caught on early it was a scam, and requested bribes to keep quiet about it. It was all very convenient for everyone involved.
2
@Ben Boissevain
The only one who has demonstrated enough backbone to take on intelligence is Barr, as he's demonstrated by investigating the origins of the Trump campaign investigation.
I don't think we can count on The Times, because it lacks objectivity at this point. Would it ever investigate something that might incriminate a democrat (Bill Clinton) and exonerate Trump? I just don't see it.
3
Ghislaine Maxwell, Prince Andrew, Dr. Eva Dublin- they will all pretend they knew nothing. Yet they were just as guilty as Epstein enabling his criminal behavior and standing by doing nothing as young girls’ lives were ruined. Amazing how money can motivate people to become such monsters.
Then again, all these adults were likely victims of abuse themselves and just continued the sad sick cycle.
12
too bad the national enquirer went to the republicans. they could have said that she was the person who had a food fight with the trumps. So what is it about the New York social scene. debauchery must be in the water. maybe they should go back to tap water
6
“They were careless people...they smashed up things and... then retreated ... or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made."
21
Ms. Maxwell enabled Epstein. Much as McConnell, Graham, Nunez, Barr, and that ilk enable Trump. The former desecrated young girls; the latter desecrates an entire nation. The former acted covertly; the latter is our current President.
May Trump and his enablers face the same fate as Epstein and his. But sooner rather than later.
69
Why were those court records sealed? If the truth had been known back then maybe some children could have been saved from sexual abuse.
38
Now would be a good time to re-examine Robert Maxwell's financial entanglements with organized criminals from the former Soviet Union.
38
Is this the NYT I am reading? With all respect: this article is more suited for “magazines” that are usually on display next to the cashier in grocery stores trying to catch attention with sensational headlines about the rich and famous. Could there be a fair trial for the defendant at this time? Of course not - and the same is true for any of the victims who are usually categorized as “beautiful girls” or “masseuses” in articles like this one - still reducing them to a nameless mass deprived of their individuality. Exactly that allowed the prosecution in Florida to make the now infamous deal in the Epstein case. The lavish lifestyle of the defendant appears to be still at the center of attention in articles like those and not the potentially destroyed lives of the victims. That is simply wrong.
6
"The Lady of the House Who Was Long Entangled with Jeffrey Epstein"
I thought we were talking about Melania.
29
@tom harrison. She was too old.
6
what it must be like to live without regard to morality, ethics or laws.
27
The Epstein story keeps getting more sick and weird by the day.
"Lifestyles of the rich, famous and not famous" morphs into an even darker side as all the connections to wealthy media and real estate moguls, billionaires and politicians spill out onto the pavement.
I don't know where it will end, but I hope it is jail for many of these depraved, spoiled humans.
28
These 'people' have too much money.
12
And too much time.
3
Will you stop saying he served 13 months in jail- he spent all day every day outside in his luxury office and went to sleep in a bedroom at the jail.
120
If I were Epstein, I would stay clear of stairways, windows and men with sharp combs. It's a dangerous world, anything can happen to someone who knows too much.
16
The favorite daughter actually outdid her father. At what point when you find yourself procuring underage girls for your boss do you question your life choices?
All I can think is for a woman to engage in this had to have an abuse history of her own. Perhaps a bigger more tragic story at the heart of this nauseating cycle of abuse, not excusable in any way, we may never know the half of it
20
“Her father was a swashbuckling rogue,” Mr. Mason said in an interview. “Jeffrey had a less social persona, but he was in his way swashbuckling, too.”
From 1989-1991, I worked for a small NJ-based professional services publishing company taken over by Robert Maxwell, who once addressed all of us employees. He was such a bizarre figure, leaving many in the lurch when he "fell" off his boat in an ostensible suicide.
His daughter sounds like her dad: social climber, aggressive self-promoter, ambitious gadfly.
If her role, as described here, in facilitating Mr. Epstein's voracious appetite for "massages" can be proven, I hope she gets the book thrown at her in helping this sick man lure unassuming and vulnserable young girls into his orbit.
She may have been "colorful," but what was she doing helping a predator ruin so many lives? As an accessory to sex trafficking, she increased the misery and shame of Epstein's victime.
48
If she should testify against Epstein, he is toast.
19
She should be “toast.”
Or perhaps convicted.
7
It would be virtually impossible for Ms. Maxwell not to have known about Epstein’s insatiable appetitive for young girls (children) and although she has the presumption of innocence until proven otherwise, it appears she played a very significant role in his predation of girls. That makes her an accomplice and more than that, it appears she actively participated in the abuse, If she enabled the abuse and was also an abuser, she should also be in jail, awaiting trial. Once again a woman turns against her own for her own selfish reasons.....despicable!
27
A side note: the more I learn about Epstein the more I thank god Hillary isn’t our candidate again. I only hope the DNC learned something last time.
27
Agree. I have followed the Epstein story with interest for years frustrated that the Clintons were never implicated. I despise Trump, but Bill Clinton is almost certainly involved and the Clintons must be held accountable (Hilary and Chelsea’s silence makes them complicit). This vile woman was at Chelsea’s wedding—what possible explanation is there except that Bill Clinton is tied to Epstein and Hilary and Chelsea stayed silent to protect their power.
4
@FilmFan And why leave Trump out? He admitted to being a friend of Epstein's for 15 years, even admitting they both liked beautiful women, with Trump saying that Epstein liked them young. So Trump knew at least something of Epstein's proclivities. I don't think Trump is innocent here.
10
LAw and Order: SUV has a script that eerily resembles this story. A really rich guy spends his days getting massages from all sorts of young girls (in private Upper West dies high schools), who are solicited by a woman, who was the rich guy's former lover. He "grew out of her"- -that is, she was no longer a teen. But their bond was that he would keep her rich. In the show, as per the formula, both are found guilty. Anyway: I bet the writers knew a lot about this case. Might be worth talking to them.
31
Keep digging.
Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, Alan Dershowitz — these are the names, among others, that keep coming up, and I’d like whatever role they had exposed for all. Don’t care if they’re republican or Democrat or whatever.
And—where did Epstein get this huge fortune from? Who pulled the strings to get him that ridiculous deal from Acosta, and why? All of this needs to be exposed.
129
And the townhouse...
14
@Tim
I'm curious about how and why Epstein managed to get a job at Dalton from Bill Barr's dad. Barr senior sounds too uptight and moralistic to be true, in this bizarre situation.
11
@Tim I am very curious about HOW he got that ridiculous deal from Acosta too, especially the clauses that granted blanket full immunity to other co-conspirators, past, present and future, for no given reason ?? and who weren't even NAMED?
9
Non disclosure agreements are an abomination shielding vile public people from truthful accountability. We have so many predators walking around because justice has been perverted to protect their images. So we must live a lie because we don’t know the truth.
28
The bigger they are, the harder they fall...
These two are falling fast.
6
One is reminded of the novel "Les Liaisons Dangereuses." Ms. Maxwell sounds like she was playing the Marquise de Merteuil role to Epstein's updated Valmont. The amazing close-up on Glenn Close's face in the superb final scene of the film version comes to mind reading about these two.
16
Epstein's financial foresight and ethical deficit are fully explained by his possession of a fake Saudi passport.
Saudi Arabia would be the perfect final home for a creep with extensive wealth and a broken moral compass.
61
I was at Jeffrey Epstein’s bail hearing yesterday. Epstein’s attorneys did not submit ANY official financial documents at the bail hearing. All they submitted was a list of assets presumably from Epstein’s head. The judge repeatedly asked Epstein’s defense team about it and they offered half-baked excuses.
This stayed with me because Epstein is concerned about a. the victims going after his money b. Scrutiny into his financial shenanigans.
From Epstein’s perspective the price for of exposing his finances is greater than the price of staying in prison. I came out of the hearing thinking he is more worried about his financial info coming out than he is about staying in prison. Whatever he is hiding ( where the money comes from and where it is) must be extremely damaging.
Similarly, Maxwell has gone into hiding once lawsuits started hitting. Because she is going to lose everything she has to the victims AND presumably, like Epstein she must have extensive financial criminal entanglements.
IMO human trafficking is just the tip of the iceberg.
268
@Pop Bee
Sounds like Trump - deathly afraid that his financial info will be public.
38
@Pop Bee Very interesting. Not surprising that the judge had a few concerns and questions ...
19
It’s good to know that people without jobs, who nevertheless have money and connections, can keep themselves occupied and entertained running multiple million-dollar properties. Ghislaine Maxwell appears at this point to have conspired with Epstein and taken part in his crimes. I trust that there is a sealed indictment and that she is extradited from the UK.
22
Guidestar lists Maxwell's Terramar nonprofit (that she was running out of East 65th street apartment) as "Population(s) Served
Children and Youth (infants - 19 years)
Yes, even the nonprofit was focused on "beneficial arrangements",
19
@Samantha
That's a sickly ironic description: did Ms Maxwell combine her duites?
I'd bet she gave herself a salary from the charity as well . . .
10
What do you bet she's not in the UK but in some country that doesn't have extradition agreements.
28
The apple didn’t fall far from the tree.
9
"She grew up in a 53-room mansion in Buckinghamshire, where childhood activities included sailing on a family yacht named the Lady Ghislaine and rubbing shoulders with aristocrats and royals"
I think the above is inaccurate and should be:
(1) She grew up in a mansion in Oxfordshire (Headington Hill Hall), not Buckinghamshire.
(2) Her father purchased the yacht (Lady Ghislaine) in the mid 80s, significantly after her childhood (she was born in 1961)
21
“Mr. Alessi counted upward of 200 people coming to the Palm Beach home to provide massages over the course of several years, and said Mr. Epstein would request as many as three masseuses a day.”
What evidence does the NYT have that ‘massages’, and not sexual activity with minors, were taking place in those instances? According to Mr. Alessi’s statements, he did not directly observe it. Dozens of women have testified under oath that they did not perform ‘massages’, but were recruited to engage in sexual activity with Mr. Epstein, and recruit other minors to do the same.
4
I do not travel in these circles and have never heard the term "professional hostess." Who are they and what do they do? Do they have graduate degrees in hostessing? Who pays them? How does one become "prominent" in the field? Or is this a euphemism; if so, for what?
14
Yet more people who do nothing but are extremely wealthy. Weird, as more people actually work hard and are poor.
31
Don’t have any money, don’t have celebrity friends, don’t have a private jet or multiple homes.
Do have morals.
I win.
74
Oh ... what the rich and powerful won’t do. Oh … what the rich and powerful get away with.
If only the rich and powerful were policed and judged the way the poor and wretched are policed and judged.
42
Once again, it’s official: money ruins everyone, with the possible exception of Paul McCartney.
35
@James
And Keanu Reeves.
12
I can think of others as well. Check out Jackson Browne and all the environmental groups he supports. He puts his money where his mouth is. Plus he makes great music!
5
@James
and Ringo. ?
4
Guilt by association is wrong. Unless there is evidence that people who flew on his plane or attended parties were involved in sexual activities with Epstein's victims, it is unfair to smear them. Miss Maxwell, on the other hand, was obviously an active participant and should share his fate.
7
This is an interesting, but not directly relevant story. The most crucial question is whether the initial plea agreement made with A. Acosta, the former Sec of Labor, is binding on all of the federal courts. The crucial phrase is "global". The federal judge in Florida said "no", but I am sure that Epstein's lawyers will try to insist on Epstein's immunity from prosecution on the charges before 2008.
Could the evidence in Epstein's safe overturn this immunity? Could the "global immunity" be overturned, even though the DoJ lawyers in DC approved of Acosta's deal in 2008? To me, these are the truly key questions.
If the case can be reopened, Ms Maxwell may be in for a tough time in federal court.
14
I wonder where the parents and the families of the young girls were when they were being recruited and exploited by Epstein and Maxwell. Were they all throw-away children?
Epstein's fall despite his great accumulation of wealth is a counter to the rich people who use their wealth for the good of all people, like Bill and Melanie Gates (the Gates Foundation), Warren Buffet and his foundation, etc.
Everyone associated with Epstein and Maxwell have lost something. Another strong indicator that money doesn't necessarily buy happiness.
6
@Len
Since NYT does not allow you to go back and edit your comment - Bill and MELINDA Gates.
10
@Suppan
I think it's worth someone mentioning the upside of extreme wealth. So many people are "blaming" wealth and power for these heinous crimes. But there are just as many manipulative, exploitive creeps who are poor. Wealth doesn't *make* you immoral, it only shields you from prosecution (sometimes). I think the Gates example is a good one. And btw, have you seen the video clip of Gates talking about his interaction with Donald Trump and how put off he was by Trump's extreme interest in his young daughter and his knowledge about her physical appearance? Ew!
6
Ms Maxwell apparently has a wealthy lifestyle. Her father stole £450 million from the (Daily) Mirror pension fund in order to fund his lifestyle and his companies. The UK taxpayer made some of that back up to the fund. Has Ms Maxwell made any attempt to repay those victims of her father's crimes? (Hint: no.) That was more than 30 years ago when the Dow was about a tenth of where it is now. $5 or $6 billion should cover it.
20
Before he became a "floater", Robert Maxwell was often referred to a "The Bouncing Czech" and declared by Her Majest's government to be "unfit to hold the stewardship of a public company". He survived until his midnight backflip into the ocean partly because he supported Thatcher as her government pushed anything goes capitalism.
Maxwell believed there was value in creating social connections created by lavish entertainment, which would appear to be his daughter's primary public assistance to Mr. Epstein in addition to possible aiding and abetting his crimes. The new rich and powerful love to mingle with each other with loud music, too much booze, enough bling to require Ray-Bans and lots of trophy girlfriends and wives. Very hard to give up all of those self-congratulatory celebrations, of course. But it will prove that spending millions on friendships is never more valuable that a few pennies on the dollar when the dark secrets start oozing out and there are no "friends" in sight.
18
@Petros. My parents were Czech refugees in England, as were many of their friends. When I was a child (in the 1950s), Maxwell swindled one of these friends of royalties from his Pergamon Press and I heard endless complaints about his behavior.. It was generally accepted in our circle that Maxwell was a crook. Nothing that happened subsequently surprised me.
39
An article about a young woman who came to America to model said it all to me. She was greeted by Maxwell at Epstein's door and a while later, after Epstein expectantly undressed in front of the woman, Maxwell found her in a hallway searching for an escape route and told her she can't just leave.
I don't need to know much more about Ms. Maxwell's complicity in this whole sordid mess.
Her legal exposure is a bit more interesting. If claims that she helped force women into sex with Epstein can be proven then she need to be brought up on charges.
27
@Darrell
Except the Italian model you speak of did leave the premises, and never returned.
According to the NY Post, a lot of this scheme seems to have baited people who wanted to be Victoria Secret models and were willing to trade sexual favors to be in the catalog.
At some point, I think it's wise to listen to old adages about the modeling industry. If you want to make money modeling sexy clothes and bathing suits, rest assured that you're going to be treated like a sex object (and therefore assaulted) by the people who run the show.
People need to protect themselves. We wear seat belts because other people don't necessarily drive safe and follow the rules.
Nothing works better than self-protection. No amount of jail time or fines makes up the hurt and trauma these girls suffered.
9
I’m not seeing any discussion in the media about whether girls could still be being abused by Epstein and whether the court is taking measures to prevent this. (The earlier plea deal appears not to have allowed for the prevention of a new generation of victims.)
33
@Flâneuse
He's in jail.
1
@Flâneuse
He's in jail. How could he abuse girls while he's in jail?
1
@GMooG Perhaps that's why the judge did not give him an ankle bracelet and send him home. But what about the past ten years after the plea deal? As I indicated, that deal may have opened the door for the abuse of a new generation of victims, but apparently no one was thinking about future victims.
3
I’m not sure that this is anyone’s business, nor a big deal.
4
@JW
It's not a big deal that she was a well-documented co-conspirator of Epstein, at the very least recruiting girls for his abuse, and also accused by multiple girls of directly abusing them along with Epstein?! I am surprised at how *not* a big deal the press (and police) have made her participation. She was his primary enabler. I have read several disgusting and horrifying accounts by Epstein abuse victims that involved Ms. Maxell, and they sure do sound credible (and consistent) to me. Why has she not come out and firmly condemned him and testified against him? She was clearly present and privy to what was going on. Because she is in it up to her eyeballs.
39
@JW, I don’t understand...you do not believe that teenaged girls being sex trafficked is a “big deal”, or you do not believe the girl’s sworn testimonies? Or perhaps you believe that such criminal behavior, if conducted by billionaires, should be out of our purview for action or judgement?
28
@JW
It's not a big deal that she procured the girls for him, and participated in the abuse of at least 1 of them? It's everyone's business. She's more monstrous than he is.
19
It would be interesting to see if there is a Deutsche Bank or Republic connection in any of this. And what about that bitter rivalry between Murdoch and the late Robert Maxwell?
68
@Nancy Cohen
Actually, the NYT ran an article on July 10th which stated in part that Epstein "appears to have been doing business and trading currencies through Deutsche Bank until just a few months ago."
29
@Nancy Cohen
Of course there was a Deutsche Bank connection. I read a detailed article about it the other day. (Maybe Google to find it.) It said that they held Epstein's primary financial accounts until just a week or two before his recent arrest, when even they - known as the bank-of-choice to criminals, fraudsters and money launderers (and Donald Trump), decided he was too toxic. They declined to work with him any further and closed his accounts. Given their international client list, I would bet my last buck that Maxwell has/had an account there too and that it was connected to Epstein's in several ways.
27
@Helen Highly
Deutsche Bank, (according to Richard Wolff) laying off half it's employees in the next few years. Apparently even fraudsters can get overextended. It’s obvious why Trump was drawn to Deutsche Bank to continue his swindling business. We are finally seeing how the sausage is made, to keep the creditors at bay by simply paying the right people off as long as you can. House of cards.
29
Sounds a lot like the saga of the perpetrators of the Oakland County Child Killer case in Michigan decades ago.. Actually detected but not prosecuted or convicted. Many payoffs and connections to prominent persons in high offices. Persistent journalism brought a lot to light much later. Gave many of us nightmares for a long time.
36
The article refers to ‘massages’ throughout, but it is clear from sworn testimony from dozens of minors in the Palm Beach Police report and civil suits against Epstein that ‘massage’ was code for sexual activity.
In fact, none of the alleged victims were licensed to perform massages nor had any experience performing them. It is clear from what is not sealed in the court record what was meant by the term ‘massage’, and it is also alleged by at least two victims Maxwell directly participated in it as well.
190
@J House
Yes! Absolutely true. And it is amazing to me, given how the press has finally gone abuzz with stories about Epstein, that very few are reporting accusations against Maxwell, which definitely existed (along with private "settlements," etc.) And she has remained silent. I'd love to see her lynch on a tree right next to him.
15
The article mentions that Ms. Maxwell was not shunned away from social/gala events. When the 1% is all in on the same party, why would shunning exist?
A question on the legal front. When one can enter a plea agreement, pay off the victim, then continue the previous lifestyle, including criminal activities, where is there justice for those without a savings account? Is Ms. Maxwell in the same legal circumstance now in which she can provide evidence to a case already with myriad smoking guns, yet plea out and pay her debt literally from the $15 million she got from the sale of her home? Seems to me she should be prosecuted in the same fashion as her best friend in life and crime. Confused.
122
@Lazlo Toth
Are you the same Lazlo Toth who wrote those Lazlo Letters?
If so, they were beyond fabulous. If not, please accept my apologies.
5
@Lazlo Toth
The gross sale price of the house was 15 mil. Not the cash she got out of the deal
1
@Guido Malsh Don Novello, who, among other things, played Father Guido Sarducci on SNL, wrote the Lazlo Letters.
10
Interesting article. Well written with plenty of salacious details. Just a question. Didn’t anyone have anything nice to say about Ms. Maxwell?
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@Gale the article described her as “fantastically entertaining” and funny, but also vulnerable. She was striking
2
@Gale
Yes, the mother of a young girl at Interlochen camp, for which Jeffrey was a large donor, and who is reported to have visited and stayed on the grounds along with Maxwell, has come out and said that Epstein repeatedly attempted to "seduce" her young daughter and that he got as close as he did because Maxwell acted as his charming front-woman. This mother said she liked and trusted Maxwell -- thought of her as a good friend, until she realized what a disgusting creep Epstein was. But mostly, those who worked around her have largely only bad things to say about her, which is telling, except for a few high-society folk who rubbed elbows and thought she was charming. Uch. Disgusting.
27
@Gale
Presumably, she has a British accent; that's more than enough for a lot of Americans.
4
In these master of the universe circles--does anyone gossip?? I am certain that in these power gatherings, someone says, like Trump did, "oh, Epstein likes young girls." Wouldn't comment like that raise your moral/ethical antenna? What this growing wealth inequality is bringing forward, more than in other eras, is the rich to play by different rules---which older institutional types kept hidden. But, the rules appear to be changing---Just a side note--how does Bill and Hillary's marriage work??? The frequency of Bill Clinton's name showing up in these articles would, if it was me, my dinner conversations with my wife would let us say be unpleasant---actually, with my wife, I would be on the street eating dinner.
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@Amanda Jones To paraphrase, "It's all about the money!"
15
@Amanda Jones
It doesn't raise anyone's moral/ethical antenna because it's expected. It's the norm that once you reach a certain level of wealth (and age), you dump your old wife for somebody much younger than her.
How many famous/rich people are there who are still married to someone close in their age?
21
@Amanda Jones I have no way of knowing, but somehow I just cannot envision Bill & Hillary having dinner together most nights. Then, what, watching the news & Jeopardy afterwards ? chatting abt. their respective work days ? and what's new w the grandkids.
I am just guessing that Hillary is fuming & Bill skulking (abt. his being mentioned frequently) re: how is this going to affect their speakers' fees, next bk. deals, future honorary degrees, next invitation, etc.
7
These are the people who get all the tax breaks.....amazing.
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@Jerry
So they can continue this life style subsidized by those who pay taxes. Disgusting.
20
With expenses like that, they need all the tax breaks they can get.
4
This sounds like sordid, awful movie material. A sick duo who thought they were way above moral humanity. Their selfish bizarre needs and wishes with no concern for anyone else has probably led the way to mental instability and emotional pain of their victims. More than likely these two are responsible for long lasting untoward affects of those they used, those who will live much longer than either of the ringmasters, and carry the mind changing burdens.
Wondering how all those who knew about the horrible deeds of these two and turned their backs live, too. No consciences needed if you’re wealthy? No wonder we’re stuck with this country being led by lies, corruption, and immorality.
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@MIMA Not to mention the Americans in flyover country who idolize this type of behavior.
23
@kat if you like the majority of people in "flyover country" idolize deviant behavior you're woefully mistaken. There's plenty of creeps on both sides.
1
@MIMA, I don't think I will go to see that movie, sorry.
1
I keep going back to Epstein. Where'd he get his money?
348
@Richard
Where'd Epstein get his money?
The old fashioned way, blackmail.
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@Richard
How he got his money is possibly the bigger story, but for journalists to find out the answer is extremely challenging.
40
@Blue in Green The Ponzi scheme with Hoffenberg was sizeable.
26
“I didn’t get the sense she was being shunned,” said the author Jay McInerney.
This whole story is of a world I know nothing about, including the ability of a group of people to look away from CRIMES against girls.
In my world, all it took was one decision and a few steps:
I moved to suburbia for "the schools". About 18 months into our residence, we were invited to a party.
Everyone gathered in one room. The women sat in a circle of chairs and talked about their kids.
The men stood in a group and talked about world affairs, sports and told a few jokes.
Since I was paying a babysitter AND was having a really hard time as a parent, I really didn't want to just sit and pretend smile and be regaled by their perfect kid stories.
I walked to the other side of the room and joined the men and their conversation.
The next day I got a call from a woman telling me, "Because I am your friend, I wanted to let you know you have been shunned by the group."
HUH???? "Why," I asked.
"You talked to the men," she said.
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@JD I recently visited a friend in the NY suburbs and had a similar experience. We went to dinner with their social circle and it was exactly as you describe: like we'd fallen down a rabbit hole to the 1950s. The men talked about golf and cigars and banking. The women talked about kids and nannies. The genders did not mix. And these are all double income professional couples. It made my skin crawl.
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@JD Women are quick to shun one another, especially when a woman is a “threat” in some way. Your story is familiar. Sorry you went through that.
79
@JD Last time I heard about something like it was from upper middle class Venezuelan people from the capital city, long time ago, talking about "very rural and/or very conservative immigrants from Ecuador", the mountain dwellers of that Country. Their parties, they said, were practically separated by gender... I do not subscribe to any of the above opinions, but I did hear that...
4
Spoiled warped rich people and their sordid lifestyles. A story that never ends and just the thing to keep us all reading so we can stay on top of the endless flow of juicy details. And of course there has to be a Trump connection. What a gift to our media. Can’t wait for the movie to come out.
74
Um, there is Trump connection. Best of friends. One party with 28 women and two men, Epstein and Trump. But nothing happened, of course.
34
Another source reports Ms. Maxwell has expressed her belief that her father was murdered.
Never a dull moment.
16
@William
Lots of people speculated about "foul play" in his death. Or suicide. He was enough of a corrupt evil-doer who was going broke to easily make a case for either. But what I think is interesting is that Epstein's favorite M.O. became going after female victims who were vulnerable because they had recently lost their fathers and/or family wealth. Girls in distress. Maxwell was on the run and in need of a "friend." Maybe Maxwell was his first victim. Not that that absolves her of her responsibility in becoming his co-conspirator. But it seems she fit the profile of the type of women (and girls) that Epstein manipulated.
7
Please read “Filthy Rich” by James Patterson, John Connolly, and Tim Malloy (2016 Little, Brown & Co.). This woman and Sarah Kellen Kensington played huge parts in this tragedy since the early ‘90s.
62
@JIm R
Thanks for mentioning the book that reveals in details the sordid activities of not only Epstein & Maxwell, but also a whole slew of enablers over a period of several decades. Truly repulsive and degenerate in scope.
Sociopaths and narcissists galore!
2
The whole Epstein affair, including Ms. Maxwell’s role in it, would make a tawdry, dime thriller book of fiction. Too bad it’s true. All I can muster is pity for this gilded and shallow set, and sadness for the young women who were used.
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@Ellen
I have no pity for them. These were their choices and girls paid the price. They felt entitled and didn't/don't care who they hurt in the process.
38
@Ellen, call it "The Not-so-great Gatsby."
24
@Ellen,
I agree. Too bad Elmore Lenard is gone.
6
I’m having a flashback here. I knew her father in 1964 when I was at Oxford —I was the editor of the university magazine Isis (in this case the name of a Greek goddess and a local river) and Maxwell was the publisher. He had taken on the magazine’s recurrent debt. It was impossible to take him seriously— he was grandiloquent and imperial with expensive suits and, for Oxford, a pretentious house on Headington Hill, with a harp and grand piano in the living room. But his French wife was charming and gracious. How sad that the youngest of her nine children ended up serving a guy who needed three massages a day. The question about her father was whether he had jumped out of his boat. The Fleet Street joke was that his last word was Roseglub.
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@Geoffrey James
"Roseglub" is a wonderful ending.
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@Geoffrey James Private Eye always called him Captain Bob. After his untimely 'accident' he became Captain Bob, Bob, Bob. I don't normally repeat jokes about someone's death. In Maxwell's case, I'm willing to make an exception.
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@Geoffrey James
Hopefully one of Miss Maxwell's well-heeled "friends" will loan her a yacht she can use as a platform.
18
Where is she? Please there is enough evidence to indict her and get extradition from Britain as well... make her pay for her role in all this...or make a plea deal at least.
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@psst She must have been one of the 4 with Epstein who were given immunity in the Palm Beach case. I don't think settlement agreements in child abuse should be confidential.
41
One word: complicit.
One quote: What a tangled web we weave when we practice to deceive...
118
"Ms. Maxwell came from a family that had been engulfed in scandal, but said that it gave her a kind of frisson. “That was part of the mystique,” he said. “New York people enjoy salacious stories. Having somebody who has a colorful past, including a dad who was controversial, made her interesting.”
It's becoming rather evident that every character in this unfolding twisted and sick story are weird.
There is "colorful" and then there's deprived.
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@Marge Keller Depraved works too.
44
@Marge Keller I assume you mean depraved.
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@Ricochet252
Depraved individuals who are deprived of morals
12
Perhaps the best thing about the interwebs is this behavior is today much more difficult to pull off in a civil society.
Secrets are very hard to keep now.
Alas, this behavior will not go away.
People with no boundaries and unlimited cash will simply move their nefarious hobbies to places like Thailand & Eastern Europe
where such activities-and worse- are common, and the supply of victims is boundless.
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@Terry Ward I don't agree. Add vulnerable, isolated children and extreme wealth and it can happen. It does.
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@Terry Ward
We have come to a point where anyone can shout "fake news" and 40% will think so. Orwell at his best.
21
@Terry Ward
There is plenty to suggest that Epstein did *also* exploit girls in other countries around the world. And fly them in to serve him as well. But I doubt that U.S. predators will run out of local victims anytime soon. Plenty of desperate girls to go around. Although, I do think it's interesting that it is said that Epstein largely avoided computers. Kept a very low digital and online profile; he knew the dangers for someone like him. When he does show up online is in falsified web pages that he created to promote his phony prestige and philanthropy. Point is that the internet can be used as a tool for deception and crime as easily as it can be a tool for truth and access to info. A good fraudster can thrive in any environment.
34
I remember Robert Maxwell and was living in England at the time he showed up in the ocean, a presumed suicide. Always wondered what would become of his family. Interesting how these things play out. She was attracted to someone, like her father, who had the bling but playing a dangerous game.
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This story says casually that Robert Maxwell “tumbled off his boat,” as if it were a slip and fall accident. I remember that, at the time, there was all sort of speculation as to whether Maxwell’s death was an accident, suicide, or murder and, if murder, was it an act of vengeance by employees whose pensions were stolen, or by intelligence operatives worried about what Maxwell could reveal as he battled legal problems. All these years later the questions linger.
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@Jack Purdy
Maxwell's death reminds me of Natalie Wood's death:
While an "accidental" death is plausible and presumed, murder is much more difficult to prove.
More questions than answers still surface when the discussion arises.
44
@Jack Purdy Yeah and what is "swashbuckling" about stealing your employees' pensions?
58
@Eric Margolis
Same thing Romney did with Bain Capital taking over businesses, stripping the assets and closing them down. Many of the wealthiest have no conscience at all, and Romney is considered a pillar of his Mormon religion!
36
Epstein’s plea bargain with Acosta shielded his co-conspirators, presumably Ms. Maxwell among them. Looks like new charges will be forthcoming, combined with a plea bargain and an excellent witness for the prosecution. Epstein not gonna buy his way out of this one.
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@mr B. They have to find her first. She is probably where Epstein will go if he is released on bail, somewhere $ will buy anonymity and the freedom to continue these sordid activities, or her dead body will turn up somewhere.
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@Mr. B we'll see. AG Barr isn't recusing himself. I smell a rat.
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@Mr. B
Oddly, it seems his previous plea deal did not mention Maxwell as one of his co-conspirators and it did specifically name two other people. I have also wondered how she evaded prosecution back then, although it seems she make some "private settlements" with victims, along with Epstein. I am also hoping she gets what she deserves in the NY case, but I am surprised at how little press coverage has been devoted to her involvement.
20
The court of public opinion is a harsh place to settle one's past transgressions. Silence and 'turning a blind eye' is not treated well in these toxic environs. Becoming poison to your own social coven is just the beginning- and you can only buy so many of these very costly friends- the problem with gilded castles being that they collapse into ugly tombs that nobody wants to share.
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@Victor Lacca
" toxic environs"? Making people face justice and responsibility for their actions does not appear toxic to me. It seems about time.
16
@Victor Lacca
Epstein, Maxwell and their ilk give not one wit about what anyone else thinks about them. Sociopaths do not suffer from scorn. (Madoff’s son on the other hand....) They retreat into their ‘social circles” where positive reinforcement is the most important and only virtue.
16
I don’t understand these people. Is that the height of existence, to be photographed with the rich and powerful and try to continue living well?
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what shouldn't surprise me but it does is how closely connected
Maxwell and Epstein were. Bill Clinton? Donald Trump?
It leaves me to wonder if all of these very wealthy and powerful people are also all just morally corrupt.
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@joan They always were corrupt, something to do with major character flaws and degrees of horrific behavior proportionate to their wealth which seems to accelerate nefarious tendencies. Same outcome rich or poor.
15
@joan No need to wonder, they definitely are!
13
@joan Don't leave out Prince Andrew.
31
The bigger picture here is that Trump is waving the racist flag in the media to distance himself from Epstein. When you are in the 1%, New York is a small world. Where does Melania fit in with this Story? Was she recruited as a Model? This Epstein story exploration needs to be about as intense as the Muller investigation.
860
@Vera Tarasenko It is not unlikely that Putin required Trump to marry Melania in exchange for financing, and has since helped propel him into power, adroitly exploiting existing American cultural vulnerabilities.
40
@Vera Tarasenko
Or is Melania a red sparrow.. she speaks Russian fluently
61
@Vera Tarasenko-Epstein boasts that he introduced Melania to Trump. Both Epstein and Trump launched modeling agencies and used them to lure and recruit under-age teens into the U.S. Epstein and Trump also "pimped" these underage teens to rich men at cocaine and alcohol-fueled parties. Video and other types of evidence exists. The NDAs aspiring models were forced to sign should be invalidated so that more can tell their stories. Other party attendees should be subpoenaed.
We all Knew About the Trafficking-The UnTold Story of Trump Model Management
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/10/6/1578544/-The-Untold-Story-of-Trump-Model-Management-A-Daily-Kos-Exclusive-Part-1
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/10/25/1586568/-Daily-Beast-Inside-Donald-Trump-s-One-Stop-Parties-Attendees-Recall-Cocaine-and-Very-Young-Models
Former Models for Donald Trump’s Agency Say They Violated Immigration Rules and Worked Illegally
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/08/donald-trump-model-management-illegal-immigration/
25
A sad story, and a long way from over. Neither of the main characters come across well. Shame on Epstein, shame on his lawyers, shame on Ms. Maxwell, shame on the enablers and those who stood idly by or participated directly in the abuse.
And that includes the man in the Oval Office.
1102
Shame? How about jail time and being on the receiving end of what they once shelled out? Only in less opulent surroundings.
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@Nathan
We are in a post shame world.
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@Nathan
"shame" on his lawyers.......an all too often predatory profession that will often do anything for $........the argument gores, "everyone deserves representation" - but do they?
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It all comes down to the old adage that rings true every day: Money is the Root of all Evil. Is there anything or anyone that can't be bought? I have to believe that there are people out there who wouldn't "cave" for a certain dollar amount. It's an interesting conversation piece since allegedly Epstein offered hundreds of thousands to women so that they would retract their allegations toward him. Who among us would resist a small fortune to keep quiet?? I like to think I would, in fact, I pray that I would.
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@Dorinda There are people in this world that need to make the right choice when confronted with a decision such as this, these are the selfless people . Then there are people that have no problem looking the other way justifying their personal actions by telling themselves it's okay, these are the selfish people, weak people and will always be selfish. Once you do the right thing all future decisions will be easier. Unfortunately we have to live with the latter and I can only hope the former are in the majority. You are right: Money is the Root of all evil.
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@Dorinda - Being able to ask yourself that question, and prayerfully striving to make the right choice in this sort of situation, proves you would do the right thing. It’s nice to know that someone with your sensibility is out there in the world. Your comment is a comfort amid all of this awful news.
9
@Dorinda the quote is (1 Timothy 6:10) "For the love of money is the root of all evil".
Money itself is not evil - big difference.
23
She had a "Sugar Daddy", obviously, and she became a high priced "Madam".
Now, she is on the run, which is a dangerous man's game. I can only hope that she can work some deal that keeps her alive but she should pay for her acts in feeding prey to this deviate.
Ms Maxwell, if U R able to read all this, cut you a deal, give Epstein up before the wrong people find U. They are not going to save you, only eliminate U as a threat.
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@WorldPeace2017
Yeah Putin might spring into action to help Trump. He is effective at dealing with such problems.
26
Yes, good buddies.
But he prefers the "tweens". And she obliged.
How can/could this woman, Ghislaine, live with herself? Spoiled and rich and nothing else to do?
And what did the arrangement and evil enterprise offer her?
Those are some of the questions that need to be asked and answered in a complete investigation this time around.
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@srwdm
" What did it offer her ?":
Money, visibility, authority, luxuries, no need to work, jet setting existence, photo ops with the rich, famous and influential: Ariana Huffington, the Clintons, Prince Andrew, being " known " in New York City, that townhouse.
There are people who live and breathe for this kind of social currency and access to the brand name lifestyle. They are hollowed out morally if they ever had a coherent moral integument to begin with. I would imagine that as the youngest child in an atmosphere of extraordinary wealth and family visibility that she was never told no. Being raised like that is a recipe for amorality and a focus on the worst sources of validation. I can't feel sorry for her when so many young girls were steered into traumatic encounters with her help and her full knowledge. But it is a sign of the rot at our center. Look at Harvey Weinstein. He too had female fixers.
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@srwdm If there was any evidence that she had a conscience, it didn’t surface here.
22
@srwdm We saw this all before...in Occupied Paris in 1943. If you forget or never learn about that, you don't see its modern equivalent in Putin/Trump's takeover of the United States, with hypocritical GOP and "religious" collaboration.
26
Ghislaine Maxwell's father Robert Maxwell was a highly interesting man, a sort of real-life James Bond villain. For example, he was widely rumored to have been a spy for both the Soviet Union and Israel.
Similarly, a source told the Daily Beast that Alexander Acosta had explained his lenient deal with Jeffrey Epstein as: "I was told Epstein ‘belonged to intelligence’ and to leave it alone.”
Did Jeffrey remind Ghislaine of Dear Old Dad? Or, perhaps, she saw him as the raw material she could mold into the Man of Her Dreams using all that she had learned from observing her father’s remarkable career?
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@Steve Sailer-Absolutely. The Daily Beast, Politico, and of course venerable Miami Herald reports on this is stunning So grateful for the Miami Herald series which started it all.
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/article220097825.html
12