Maxwell was arrested Thursday morning as part of the ongoing federal investigation into Epsteins child sex trafficking operation, according to The New York Times . Maxwell was arrested in New Hampshire and is expected to appear in court later Thursday, a source told the paper. Epstein died by suicide in jail while waiting for his trial on sex trafficking charges last year.
Its highly likely that youll hear Maxwells name a lot in the future. But who is she, again? Heres what you need to know about Epsteins former confidant.
Shes a socialite with a ton of connections.
Maxwell is usually described as a British socialite and heiress. Shes the daughter of Robert Maxwell, a media tycoon who owned a slew of publishing companies, including the Daily Mirror. Maxwell ran with an influential group and has been pictured next to Donald Trump, Michael Bloomberg, and Elon Musk, according to The Guardian . She also reportedly has connections to the British royal family.
She used to date Epstein.
Maxwell and Epstein dated at some point in the 90s and the two stayed friends after they broke up. Epstein even called Maxwell his best friend in a Vanity Fair profile.
Shes super outgoing.
She was always the most interesting, the most vivacious, the most unusual person in any room, the Vanity Fair profile said of Maxwell. Her Rolodex would blow away almost anyone elses I can think of.
She went to Oxford.
She went to the UKs swanky Oxford University, and she can reportedly fly a helicopter and pilot a submarine, according to The Guardian. She also speaks four languages.
She's been accused of being involved in Epsteins crimes.
Maxwell was arrested on charges that she conspired with Epstein to sexually abuse minors, according to NBC 4 . Shes also been accused of grooming teenage girls for sex with rich and powerful men, and her name came up in a 2015 lawsuit from one of those teenagers, Virginia Roberts Giuffre.
Shes denied she did anything wrong.
I understand newspapers need stories to sell copies, Maxwell said in a statement in 2011. It is well known that certain newspapers live by the adage, Why let the truth get in the way of a good story. However, the allegations made against me are abhorrent and entirely untrue and I ask that they stop.
Shes been MIA since Epsteins death.
Maxwell hasnt been seen in public since Epsteins death in August 2019, although speculation has swirled that she would be arrested at some point, NBC 4 says.