Two privately-owned islands belonging to Jeffrey Epstein, the tainted American financier and registered sexual offender, were sold to a billionaire investor Thursday. The two islands, Great St.James and Little St. James were abandoned after Epstein committed suicide in 2019 in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.&nbsp;

Stephen Deckoff, the founder of private equity firm Black Diamond Capital Management, bought the islands for $60 million, Forbes reported Wednesday. Deckoff paid approximately 50 per cent less for the two private islands than the price that was listed last year by Epstein’s estate.&nbsp;

According to a press release by Deckoff, he is planning to “develop a state-of-the-art, five-star, world-class luxury 25-room resort” on the islands that will become operational in 2025.&nbsp;

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"I've been proud to call the US&nbsp;Virgin Islands home for more than a decade and am tremendously pleased to be able to bring the area a world-class destination befitting its natural grace and beauty," Deckoff said in the release.&nbsp;

"There is simply no place in the world as special as the US&nbsp;Virgin Islands and I am humbled by the opportunity to share its splendour with visitors in a manner that will provide economic benefits to the region while respecting its culture, history and natural beauty."

In a conversation with Forbes, Deckoff revealed&nbsp;that he had never met Epstein and had never been to the islands before they went on the market. In March last year, the islands were listed for a combined price of $125 million.&nbsp;

Deckoff has ties with the US Virgin Islands and is aware of the unsavoury past of these islands. It was reported that Epstein used to use these islands to sexually abuse&nbsp;teenage girls. One island was even sometimes dubbed as the ‘Paedophile Island’.&nbsp;

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The 72-acre Little St. James Island was repurchased by Epstein in 1998 for $7.95 million, which has a villa-style compound, a library, a cinema hall, a detached bath house and cabanas. He later bought the 160-acre Great St. James Island for $20 million in 2016.&nbsp;

In the allegation against Epstein, it was said that he used to bring girls as young as 11 to the islands with his associates and used to sexually assault them.&nbsp;

Jeffrey Epstein’s case&nbsp;

Jeffrey Epstein died of an apparent suicide in August 2019 in a Manhattan jail cell, where he was held while awaiting his trial for sex trafficking. The FBI raided Little St. James, where Epstein was believed to have his primary residence.&nbsp;

Epstein’s girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell was later found guilty of aiding his beau in the sex trafficking of young girls and was sentenced to prison for 20 years.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies) 
 
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Two privately-owned islands belonging to Jeffrey Epstein, the tainted American financier and registered sexual offender, were sold to a billionaire investor Thursday.

Two privately-owned islands belonging to Jeffrey Epstein, the tainted American financier and registered sexual offender, were sold to a billionaire investor Thursday. The two islands, Great St.James and Little St. James were abandoned after Epstein committed suicide in 2019 in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. Stephen Deckoff, the founder of private equity firm Black Diamond Capital Management, bought the islands for $60 million, Forbes reported Wednesday. Deckoff paid approximately 50 per cent less for the two private islands than the price that was listed last year by Epstein’s estate. According to a press release by Deckoff, he is planning to “develop a state-of-the-art, five-star, world-class luxury 25-room resort” on the islands that will become operational in 2025. Also Read | Wagner leader says Ukraine counter-offensive has begun; Kherson shelling toll rises to 21 "I've been proud to call the US Virgin Islands home for more than a decade and am tremendously pleased to be able to bring the area a world-class destination befitting its natural grace and beauty," Deckoff said in the release. "There is simply no place in the world as special as the US Virgin Islands and I am humbled by the opportunity to share its splendour with visitors in a manner that will provide economic benefits to the region while respecting its culture, history and natural beauty." In a conversation with Forbes, Deckoff revealed that he had never met Epstein and had never been to the islands before they went on the market. In March last year, the islands were listed for a combined price of $125 million. Deckoff has ties with the US Virgin Islands and is aware of the unsavoury past of these islands. It was reported that Epstein used to use these islands to sexually abuse teenage girls. One island was even sometimes dubbed as the ‘Paedophile Island’. Also Read | US judge dismisses Donald Trump's lawsuit against New York Times, orders him to pay all legal fees The 72-acre Little St. James Island was repurchased by Epstein in 1998 for $7.95 million, which has a villa-style compound, a library, a cinema hall, a detached bath house and cabanas. He later bought the 160-acre Great St. James Island for $20 million in 2016. In the allegation against Epstein, it was said that he used to bring girls as young as 11 to the islands with his associates and used to sexually assault them. Jeffrey Epstein’s case Jeffrey Epstein died of an apparent suicide in August 2019 in a Manhattan jail cell, where he was held while awaiting his trial for sex trafficking. The FBI raided Little St. James, where Epstein was believed to have his primary residence. Epstein’s girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell was later found guilty of aiding his beau in the sex trafficking of young girls and was sentenced to prison for 20 years. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Jeffrey Epstein’s private islands sold to billionaire investor for $60 million

A former close associate of Jeffrey Epstein has been found dead in his Paris prison cell. Jean-Luc Brunel, in his mid-70s, was charged with the rape of minors. He was held in prison since December 2020.

Sources told AFP that he had been found dead overnight Friday to Saturday. However, the Paris prosecutors later confirmed his death.

The police are now investigating the cause of the death. Earlier, Brunel had denied the charges against him. His death means that his case has been closed.

As per a statement by his lawyers, Mathias Chichportich, Marianne Abgrall and Christophe Ingrain, the apparent suicide was "not guided by guilt but a profound sense of injustice".

"His tragedy is that of a 75-year-old man crushed by a media-judicial system. Brunel had always maintained his innocence and had intensified his efforts to prove it."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/united-states-nuclear-engineers-wife-pleads-guilty-in-nuclear-submarine-secrets-plot-454599">Also read |&nbsp;United States: Nuclear engineer's wife pleads guilty in nuclear submarine secrets plot</a>

Earlier in January, Ghislaine Maxwell’s lawyers had filed documents requesting a new trial. In a letter to the court, the lawyers wrote that they filed her “motion for a New Trial … and accompanying exhibits under seal.”

“For the reasons set forth in the Motion, we request that all submissions pertaining to Juror No. 50 remain under seal until the Court rules on the Motion," the letter read.&nbsp;

Ghislaine Noelle Marion Maxwell, a British socialite and the daughter of a publishing tycoon Robert Maxwell was convicted on December 29 of five counts for enabling Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse of girls.&nbsp;

Maxwell's relationship with Epstein resulted in her being convicted for soliciting a minor for prostitution. She was sentenced to an 18-month jail term, of which she only served 13 months.

(With inputs from agencies)

A former close associate of Jeffrey Epstein has been found dead in his Paris prison cell. Jean-Luc Brunel, in his mid-70s, was charged with the rape of minors. He was held in prison since December 2020.

A former close associate of Jeffrey Epstein has been found dead in his Paris prison cell. Jean-Luc Brunel, in his mid-70s, was charged with the rape of minors. He was held in prison since December 2020. Sources told AFP that he had been found dead overnight Friday to Saturday. However, the Paris prosecutors later confirmed his death. The police are now investigating the cause of the death. Earlier, Brunel had denied the charges against him. His death means that his case has been closed. As per a statement by his lawyers, Mathias Chichportich, Marianne Abgrall and Christophe Ingrain, the apparent suicide was "not guided by guilt but a profound sense of injustice". "His tragedy is that of a 75-year-old man crushed by a media-judicial system. Brunel had always maintained his innocence and had intensified his efforts to prove it." Also read | United States: Nuclear engineer's wife pleads guilty in nuclear submarine secrets plot Earlier in January, Ghislaine Maxwell’s lawyers had filed documents requesting a new trial. In a letter to the court, the lawyers wrote that they filed her “motion for a New Trial … and accompanying exhibits under seal.” “For the reasons set forth in the Motion, we request that all submissions pertaining to Juror No. 50 remain under seal until the Court rules on the Motion," the letter read. Ghislaine Noelle Marion Maxwell, a British socialite and the daughter of a publishing tycoon Robert Maxwell was convicted on December 29 of five counts for enabling Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse of girls. Maxwell's relationship with Epstein resulted in her being convicted for soliciting a minor for prostitution. She was sentenced to an 18-month jail term, of which she only served 13 months. (With inputs from agencies)

Jeffrey Epstein associate, Jean-Luc Brunel, found dead in French prison cell

A woman testified Monday that Ghislaine Maxwell groomed her to engage in sexual activity with Jeffrey Epstein, the second of four women alleging abuse to take the stand in the British socialite's sex trafficking trial.

Speaking under the pseudonym "Kate," the witness explained how Maxwell would coordinate her sexual encounters with Epstein, inviting her over and escorting to her to massage rooms to meet the late financier.

The 59-year-old Maxwell, who has pleaded not guilty to six counts of enticing and transporting minors for sex, is accused of grooming underage girls to be exploited by her long-time partner Epstein, a wealthy American who killed himself in jail two years ago while awaiting trial.

Kate, now 44, said she was introduced to Maxwell by a then-boyfriend during a trip to Paris in 1994, when she was 17 years old.

"She was very sophisticated and very elegant," Kate said of Maxwell during questioning from prosecutors.&nbsp; 
Kate said she gave her phone number to Maxwell, who invited the teenager to tea at her London home a few weeks later.&nbsp;

"I felt really special," Kate said. "I felt that I had found a new connection that could be really meaningful to me. Like somebody wanted me, like somebody wanted to be my friend."

Maxwell, she said, "told me amazing things about her boyfriend," that he was a philanthropist and "liked to help young people."

"She said that he was going to love me," she said.

A few weeks later, Maxwell invited Kate to meet Epstein at her London home, she said.

Kate said she was asked by Maxwell to "give his feet a little squeeze" and rub his shoulders.

A few weeks later, Kate was invited back to Maxwell's to give Epstein a massage.

She said Epstein disrobed in a dimly lit room with a massage table. Maxwell left and closed the door.

The massage turned into a sex act, Kate said, after which Maxwell asked: "How did it go? Did you have fun? Was it good?"

"She seemed very excited and happy," Kate said.

'I was fearful'

Kate's testimony was not allowed to include details of sex acts with Epstein because she was 17 at the time, the age of consent in Britain.

Rather than provide evidence of criminal wrongdoing, prosecutors are using her testimony to illustrate the wider pattern of grooming young girls and corroborating other accuser statements.

Kate described an instance when the socialite gave her a schoolgirl outfit and told her to wear it and serve Epstein tea.

"I didn't know how to say no," she said.

Kate also said Maxwell asked her if she knew anyone else who might be able to engage in sexual acts with Epstein.

"You know what he likes -- cute, young, pretty, like you," Kate quoted Maxwell as saying.

Kate said she never recruited other girls.

She continued to see the duo for years, traveling to Epstein's properties in Palm Beach, New York and the Caribbean -- trips routinely arranged by Maxwell, Kate said.

The witness said she saw photographs of underage girls in the Palm Beach house and saw other girls in person, including one "who seemed a lot younger than me. Very young."

She said she maintained contact with Epstein into her early 30s.

"I did not want to admit what happened to me," she said. "I was fearful of disengaging because I had witnessed how connected they both were."

Maxwell "seemed to know everybody," she said. "She told me she was friends with Prince Andrew. Friends with Donald Trump."

Kate was also asked about her years-long addiction to alcohol, cocaine and sleeping pills.

The defense aggressively sought to skewer Kate's credibility, emphasizing her drug use and insisting she was looking to receive government support obtaining a special visa in exchange for her testimony.

Kate, who is British, said she was not seeking a "U visa" -- reserved for victims of abuse -- but had at one point inquired about it.

She said she has been sober since May 2003 and her memories "of significant events in my life have never changed."

"These events come back to me all the time," she said through tears. "I have nightmares about them." 
Kate said she received $3.25 million from the Epstein victims fund but has no financial stake in the current case.

A woman identified by the pseudonym "Jane" testified last week that she was 14 when Epstein started sexually abusing her, and that Maxwell was sometimes present and even participated.

Maxwell, the daughter of the late British press baron Robert Maxwell, faces an effective life sentence if convicted.

A woman testified Monday that Ghislaine Maxwell groomed her to engage in sexual activity with Jeffrey Epstein, the second of four women alleging abuse to take the stand in the British socialite's sex trafficking trial.

A woman testified Monday that Ghislaine Maxwell groomed her to engage in sexual activity with Jeffrey Epstein, the second of four women alleging abuse to take the stand in the British socialite's sex trafficking trial. Speaking under the pseudonym "Kate," the witness explained how Maxwell would coordinate her sexual encounters with Epstein, inviting her over and escorting to her to massage rooms to meet the late financier. The 59-year-old Maxwell, who has pleaded not guilty to six counts of enticing and transporting minors for sex, is accused of grooming underage girls to be exploited by her long-time partner Epstein, a wealthy American who killed himself in jail two years ago while awaiting trial. Kate, now 44, said she was introduced to Maxwell by a then-boyfriend during a trip to Paris in 1994, when she was 17 years old. "She was very sophisticated and very elegant," Kate said of Maxwell during questioning from prosecutors. Kate said she gave her phone number to Maxwell, who invited the teenager to tea at her London home a few weeks later. "I felt really special," Kate said. "I felt that I had found a new connection that could be really meaningful to me. Like somebody wanted me, like somebody wanted to be my friend." Maxwell, she said, "told me amazing things about her boyfriend," that he was a philanthropist and "liked to help young people." "She said that he was going to love me," she said. A few weeks later, Maxwell invited Kate to meet Epstein at her London home, she said. Kate said she was asked by Maxwell to "give his feet a little squeeze" and rub his shoulders. A few weeks later, Kate was invited back to Maxwell's to give Epstein a massage. She said Epstein disrobed in a dimly lit room with a massage table. Maxwell left and closed the door. The massage turned into a sex act, Kate said, after which Maxwell asked: "How did it go? Did you have fun? Was it good?" "She seemed very excited and happy," Kate said. 'I was fearful' Kate's testimony was not allowed to include details of sex acts with Epstein because she was 17 at the time, the age of consent in Britain. Rather than provide evidence of criminal wrongdoing, prosecutors are using her testimony to illustrate the wider pattern of grooming young girls and corroborating other accuser statements. Kate described an instance when the socialite gave her a schoolgirl outfit and told her to wear it and serve Epstein tea. "I didn't know how to say no," she said. Kate also said Maxwell asked her if she knew anyone else who might be able to engage in sexual acts with Epstein. "You know what he likes -- cute, young, pretty, like you," Kate quoted Maxwell as saying. Kate said she never recruited other girls. She continued to see the duo for years, traveling to Epstein's properties in Palm Beach, New York and the Caribbean -- trips routinely arranged by Maxwell, Kate said. The witness said she saw photographs of underage girls in the Palm Beach house and saw other girls in person, including one "who seemed a lot younger than me. Very young." She said she maintained contact with Epstein into her early 30s. "I did not want to admit what happened to me," she said. "I was fearful of disengaging because I had witnessed how connected they both were." Maxwell "seemed to know everybody," she said. "She told me she was friends with Prince Andrew. Friends with Donald Trump." Kate was also asked about her years-long addiction to alcohol, cocaine and sleeping pills. The defense aggressively sought to skewer Kate's credibility, emphasizing her drug use and insisting she was looking to receive government support obtaining a special visa in exchange for her testimony. Kate, who is British, said she was not seeking a "U visa" -- reserved for victims of abuse -- but had at one point inquired about it. She said she has been sober since May 2003 and her memories "of significant events in my life have never changed." "These events come back to me all the time," she said through tears. "I have nightmares about them." Kate said she received $3.25 million from the Epstein victims fund but has no financial stake in the current case. A woman identified by the pseudonym "Jane" testified last week that she was 14 when Epstein started sexually abusing her, and that Maxwell was sometimes present and even participated. Maxwell, the daughter of the late British press baron Robert Maxwell, faces an effective life sentence if convicted.

Second accuser takes stand in Ghislaine Maxwell sex trafficking trial

The 14-year-old girl was eating ice cream with friends one afternoon in 1994, around a picnic table at a summer arts camp in Michigan, she said, when a “tall, thin woman” with a “cute little Yorkie” walked by.

The campers asked if they could pet the dog, but soon after the girl’s friends left her alone with the woman, a man joined them, and asked the girl about the camp and her other interests. He said he was a benefactor who gave to the camp and supported young talent. When the girl said she lived in Palm Beach, Florida, the man said, “What a coincidence, we live there too.” He asked for her phone number.

Testifying on Tuesday in the sex trafficking trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, the 14-year-old from Florida, now an adult identified in court only as “Jane,” described for jurors how what seemed like a chance encounter with Maxwell — the woman with the Yorkie — and Jeffrey Epstein led to years of sexual abuse.

The abuse took place at Epstein’s properties in Florida, New Mexico and New York, and at times involved groups of people, she said. Sometimes, she said, Maxwell took part in the sex acts.

<img alt="Brief 2" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="8d2eef06-5ab4-4973-8ffc-105fb9265331" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Maxwell.jpg" />

For years, Jane testified, she told nobody about the abuse, confiding in loved ones only after she had cut off contact with Epstein, around 2002. Jane — who identified herself as a working actor — did not tell law enforcement about her allegations until after Epstein’s death in 2019, in part out of concern, she said, that she would face professional blowback in Hollywood.

As the first accuser to take the stand in Maxwell’s trial, Jane painted a picture of how Maxwell and Epstein brought her into their lives, and how what seemed like mentorship and special treatment soon evolved into sexual abuse.

Weeks after the initial meeting in Michigan, Jane said, she got home from school — it was early in her eighth grade year — to find that Epstein had called to invite her and her mother to his house for tea. A chauffeur came to retrieve them and brought them to Epstein’s home.

It was the first of many such visits she would make, but her mother never joined them again. The home was impressive, she said, and so were Epstein and Maxwell, even if their conduct was sometimes confusing or overwhelming.

As she described those early days, Jane at times laughed at herself, gestured broadly and spoke directly to the jury. But as she turned to her accounts of her abuse — and later, as Maxwell’s lawyer sought on cross-examination to challenge her recollections — Jane’s tone grew more serious.

At several points throughout Jane’s testimony, Maxwell leaned forward in her chair at the defense table, put on a pair of glasses and took notes.

“From the very beginning there was a lot of bragging about how they were friends with essentially everyone,” Jane said, adding that Maxwell and Epstein would engage in “name dropping” — she recalled them citing public figures like Donald Trump, Bill Clinton and Mike Wallace. The effect was to suggest that “they were very well connected and affluent.”

Jane said she was soon visiting Epstein’s Palm Beach home every week or two, and Maxwell was a steady presence. At first, Maxwell came across as a big sister figure — “odd and “quirky,” Jane said, “but she was nice.” Jane said Maxwell took her to the movies and shopping for shirts and a cashmere sweater, and to Victoria’s Secret for underwear: "basic-looking ones" like “white cotton briefs.”

But soon, Maxwell began talking to her about sex, Jane said. One day, Jane said, Maxwell was among a group of women lounging topless or naked around Epstein’s pool.

Another day, when she was still 14, Jane testified, she was speaking with Epstein in his office when he told her he could introduce her to talent agents and “make things happen” for her. Then he “abruptly” ended the conversation, took her hand and said, “Follow me,” as he guided her outside and into the pool house.

Inside, Jane said, Epstein led her to a couch and took off his sweatpants. He pulled her on top of him and “proceeded to masturbate,” she testified in a halting voice. After he was done, she said, he went into a bathroom to clean up, then “acted like nothing had happened.”

“I was frozen in fear,” Jane said. She testified that she did not tell anyone about what had happened inside the pool house, adding: “I was terrified and felt gross and I felt ashamed.”

Shortly after that incident, Jane said, Maxwell joined them in Epstein’s bedroom; while the two adults touched each other, they guided her to join them. In later visits, Maxwell and Epstein brought Jane to the house’s massage room, where Maxwell explained how Epstein liked to be massaged.

A prosecutor, Alison Moe, asked about Maxwell’s demeanor during those incidents.

“I would say it seemed very casual, like it was very normal, like it was not a big deal,” Jane said.

Jane’s often emotional testimony came on the second day of Maxwell’s trial in U.S. District Court in Manhattan on charges she helped Epstein recruit, groom and ultimately sexually abuse girls as young as 14.

Prosecutors have said that Jane and three other accusers, all now adults, will testify under pseudonyms or partial names in the trial.

The defense has made it clear it plans to seek to undermine Jane’s credibility in cross-examination by suggesting that she is playing a role, and that she only decided to cooperate with the government and implicate Maxwell because she believed it would help her secure a claim with the Epstein victim fund, which awarded her $5 million.

Late Tuesday afternoon, one of Maxwell’s lawyers, Laura Menninger, began her cross-examination by pressing Jane about the delay in reporting her claims and sought to point out gaps in her memory of her teenage years in Florida. Her cross-examination is expected to continue Wednesday morning.

Before then, Moe, the prosector, asked Jane whether she had ever publicly revealed her identity as a victim of Epstein and Maxwell.

No, Jane said, nor did she want to.

“I’ve always just wanted to put this past me. I moved on with my life,” Jane said. “I work in the entertainment industry and victim shaming is still very present to this day.” Talking publicly could also affect her career, she said.

“I didn’t really want any part of it,” she said. “I just wanted it to go away.”

The 14-year-old girl was eating ice cream with friends one afternoon in 1994, around a picnic table at a summer arts camp in Michigan, she said, when a “tall, thin woman” with a “cute little Yorkie” walked by.

The 14-year-old girl was eating ice cream with friends one afternoon in 1994, around a picnic table at a summer arts camp in Michigan, she said, when a “tall, thin woman” with a “cute little Yorkie” walked by. The campers asked if they could pet the dog, but soon after the girl’s friends left her alone with the woman, a man joined them, and asked the girl about the camp and her other interests. He said he was a benefactor who gave to the camp and supported young talent. When the girl said she lived in Palm Beach, Florida, the man said, “What a coincidence, we live there too.” He asked for her phone number. Testifying on Tuesday in the sex trafficking trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, the 14-year-old from Florida, now an adult identified in court only as “Jane,” described for jurors how what seemed like a chance encounter with Maxwell — the woman with the Yorkie — and Jeffrey Epstein led to years of sexual abuse. The abuse took place at Epstein’s properties in Florida, New Mexico and New York, and at times involved groups of people, she said. Sometimes, she said, Maxwell took part in the sex acts. For years, Jane testified, she told nobody about the abuse, confiding in loved ones only after she had cut off contact with Epstein, around 2002. Jane — who identified herself as a working actor — did not tell law enforcement about her allegations until after Epstein’s death in 2019, in part out of concern, she said, that she would face professional blowback in Hollywood. As the first accuser to take the stand in Maxwell’s trial, Jane painted a picture of how Maxwell and Epstein brought her into their lives, and how what seemed like mentorship and special treatment soon evolved into sexual abuse. Weeks after the initial meeting in Michigan, Jane said, she got home from school — it was early in her eighth grade year — to find that Epstein had called to invite her and her mother to his house for tea. A chauffeur came to retrieve them and brought them to Epstein’s home. It was the first of many such visits she would make, but her mother never joined them again. The home was impressive, she said, and so were Epstein and Maxwell, even if their conduct was sometimes confusing or overwhelming. As she described those early days, Jane at times laughed at herself, gestured broadly and spoke directly to the jury. But as she turned to her accounts of her abuse — and later, as Maxwell’s lawyer sought on cross-examination to challenge her recollections — Jane’s tone grew more serious. At several points throughout Jane’s testimony, Maxwell leaned forward in her chair at the defense table, put on a pair of glasses and took notes. “From the very beginning there was a lot of bragging about how they were friends with essentially everyone,” Jane said, adding that Maxwell and Epstein would engage in “name dropping” — she recalled them citing public figures like Donald Trump, Bill Clinton and Mike Wallace. The effect was to suggest that “they were very well connected and affluent.” Jane said she was soon visiting Epstein’s Palm Beach home every week or two, and Maxwell was a steady presence. At first, Maxwell came across as a big sister figure — “odd and “quirky,” Jane said, “but she was nice.” Jane said Maxwell took her to the movies and shopping for shirts and a cashmere sweater, and to Victoria’s Secret for underwear: "basic-looking ones" like “white cotton briefs.” But soon, Maxwell began talking to her about sex, Jane said. One day, Jane said, Maxwell was among a group of women lounging topless or naked around Epstein’s pool. Another day, when she was still 14, Jane testified, she was speaking with Epstein in his office when he told her he could introduce her to talent agents and “make things happen” for her. Then he “abruptly” ended the conversation, took her hand and said, “Follow me,” as he guided her outside and into the pool house. Inside, Jane said, Epstein led her to a couch and took off his sweatpants. He pulled her on top of him and “proceeded to masturbate,” she testified in a halting voice. After he was done, she said, he went into a bathroom to clean up, then “acted like nothing had happened.” “I was frozen in fear,” Jane said. She testified that she did not tell anyone about what had happened inside the pool house, adding: “I was terrified and felt gross and I felt ashamed.” Shortly after that incident, Jane said, Maxwell joined them in Epstein’s bedroom; while the two adults touched each other, they guided her to join them. In later visits, Maxwell and Epstein brought Jane to the house’s massage room, where Maxwell explained how Epstein liked to be massaged. A prosecutor, Alison Moe, asked about Maxwell’s demeanor during those incidents. “I would say it seemed very casual, like it was very normal, like it was not a big deal,” Jane said. Jane’s often emotional testimony came on the second day of Maxwell’s trial in U.S. District Court in Manhattan on charges she helped Epstein recruit, groom and ultimately sexually abuse girls as young as 14. Prosecutors have said that Jane and three other accusers, all now adults, will testify under pseudonyms or partial names in the trial. The defense has made it clear it plans to seek to undermine Jane’s credibility in cross-examination by suggesting that she is playing a role, and that she only decided to cooperate with the government and implicate Maxwell because she believed it would help her secure a claim with the Epstein victim fund, which awarded her $5 million. Late Tuesday afternoon, one of Maxwell’s lawyers, Laura Menninger, began her cross-examination by pressing Jane about the delay in reporting her claims and sought to point out gaps in her memory of her teenage years in Florida. Her cross-examination is expected to continue Wednesday morning. Before then, Moe, the prosector, asked Jane whether she had ever publicly revealed her identity as a victim of Epstein and Maxwell. No, Jane said, nor did she want to. “I’ve always just wanted to put this past me. I moved on with my life,” Jane said. “I work in the entertainment industry and victim shaming is still very present to this day.” Talking publicly could also affect her career, she said. “I didn’t really want any part of it,” she said. “I just wanted it to go away.”

Accuser describes Maxwell and Epstein ensnaring and abusing her at 14

The disgraced financier, jailed in Manhattan on federal sex trafficking charges involving teenage girls, was found unconscious on the floor of his cell one morning in July 2019, a strip of bedsheet tied around his bruised neck.

In the hours and days that followed that suicide attempt, Jeffrey Epstein would claim to be living a “wonderful life,” denying any thoughts of ending it, even as he sat on suicide watch and faced daunting legal troubles.

“I have no interest in killing myself,” Epstein told a jailhouse psychologist, according to Bureau of Prisons documents that have not previously been made public. He was a “coward” and did not like pain, he explained. “I would not do that to myself.”

But two weeks later, he did just that: He died in his cell Aug. 10 in the Metropolitan Correctional Center, having hanged himself with a bedsheet, the medical examiner ruled.

After a life of manipulation, Epstein created illusions until the very end, deceiving correctional officers, counsellors and specially trained inmates assigned to monitor him around the clock, according to the documents — among more than 2,000 pages of Federal Bureau of Prisons records obtained by The New York Times after filing a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.

The detailed notes and reports compiled by those who interacted with Epstein during his 36 days of detention show how he repeatedly assured them he had much to live for, while also hinting that he was increasingly despondent. The clues prompted too little action by jail and bureau officials, who made mistake after mistake leading up to Epstein’s death, the records reveal.

Beyond the legal and administrative matters, the collection of records provides the most intimate and detailed look yet at Epstein’s final days, and offers something often missing from public accounts: his voice.

He passed many days closed in a conference room with his attorneys, avoiding the confines of his dank and dirty cell. In conversations with psychologists and other inmates, he spoke of his interest in physics and mathematics and offered tidbits of investment advice. He reminisced about socialising with celebrities, even as he complained about the running toilet in his cell, the orange prison garb, his difficulty sleeping, his dehydration and numbness in his right arm.

And where Epstein had once rubbed shoulders with politicians, scientists and Wall Street titans, now he was left to converse about the food in the 12-story detention centre.

“Epstein wants to know who’s the best cook on 11 North,” one inmate wrote.

The newly obtained records offer no support to the explosion of conspiracy theories that Epstein’s death was not a suicide. They also shed no light on questions raised by his brother and one of his attorneys that he might have been assisted in killing himself. But they do paint a picture of incompetence and sloppiness by some within the Bureau of Prisons, which runs the federal detention centre.

An intake screening form erroneously described Epstein as a Black male (he was white), and indicated that he had no prior sex offence convictions, even though he was a registered sex offender with two 2008 convictions in Florida, for solicitation of prostitution and procurement of minors to engage in prostitution. A few social phone calls he made were not recorded, logged or monitored, records show, an apparent violation of jail policy.

The night he killed himself, Epstein lied to jail officials and said he wanted to phone his mother — who was long dead. He instead called his girlfriend. Jail personnel left him alone in his cell that night, despite an explicit directive that he be assigned a cellmate.

Two days after the suicide, William Barr, then the US&nbsp;attorney general, said there were “serious irregularities” at the correctional centre, but did not elaborate. He later blamed “a perfect storm of screw-ups.”

A 15-page psychological reconstruction of Epstein’s death, compiled by bureau officials five weeks later and never before made public, concluded that his identity “appeared to be based on his wealth, power and association with other high-profile individuals.”

“The lack of significant interpersonal connections, a complete loss of his status in both the community and among associates, and the idea of potentially spending his life in prison,” the post-mortem continued, “were likely factors contributing to Mr. Epstein’s suicide.”

The Bureau of Prisons, in a statement, declined to comment on Epstein’s detention, but said “the safe, secure and humane housing of inmates is BOP’s highest priority.”

The bureau said it had created a task force to address the mental health implications of housing inmates alone, and was committed to improving its suicide prevention program, including “continuing to train BOP staff on suicide prevention, risk assessment and emergency responses.”

This fall, the Justice Department, citing poor conditions at the jail, also temporarily closed it, moving its prisoners to other facilities.

The Times obtained the materials after suing the Bureau of Prisons, which had repeatedly rejected its public-records requests. As part of a settlement, the agency agreed to turn over internal memos and emails, visitor logs, handwritten notes from inmates, and the psychological reconstruction of Epstein’s death. Many of the documents were heavily redacted; some were withheld entirely, including a number of records associated with the earlier suicide attempt.

At a hearing in April regarding the Times’ lawsuit, Judge Paul Engelmayer of US&nbsp;District Court in Manhattan said he was “struck by the audacity of the initial denial by the Bureau of Prisons” to make the records available in a case that he described as a “high-profile epic failure.”

“It certainly does raise a concern,” the judge added, “that the wagons are being circled.”

‘Talking About Celebs’

Epstein’s stay at the detention center began Saturday, July 6, 2019, after his arrest at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, where he had arrived from Paris on a private jet. An indictment charged that Epstein, 66, had over many years recruited dozens of teenage girls to engage in sex acts with him at his mansion in Manhattan and his estate in Palm Beach, Florida, paying them each hundreds of dollars in cash.

If convicted, he faced up to 45 years in prison.

He initially was placed in the general inmate population, the jail’s least restrictive area. In an internal email, Hugh Hurwitz, then the Bureau of Prisons’ acting director, later attributed this to an oversight by the U.S. Marshals Service. “Apparently USMS did not indicate that he was a high-profile inmate, and staff were unaware that he was coming so no plans had been established,” he wrote.

That evening, according to the post-mortem reconstruction, a facilities assistant found Epstein in his cell looking “distraught, sad and a little confused,” she said in an email to three jail officials.

When the assistant asked if he was OK, he said he was. But she was not convinced, she wrote. “He seems dazed and withdrawn.”

She added, “Just to be on the safe side and prevent any suicidal thoughts, can someone from Psychology come and talk with him?”

No one did at first, according to the records.

On Sunday, July 7, the center’s warden, Lamine N’Diaye, properly identified Epstein as “high-profile” and had him moved to the Special Housing Unit, or SHU, on the ninth floor, out of “concerns for his personal safety in general population,” according to Hurwitz’s email.

But it was not until 9:30 a.m. that Monday that Epstein was taken for an initial psychological evaluation, as had been suggested when he arrived.

That afternoon, Epstein was set to make his first court appearance. Anticipating that he would be denied bail, the jail’s chief psychologist recommended that he be evaluated for suicide risk upon his return, given the media attention and nature of the charges.

“Inmate Epstein will likely be receiving bad news in court today, and has multiple risk factors for suicidality as identified by BOP statistics,” the psychologist wrote. “Let’s be proactive.”

By the time Epstein returned, it was after normal business hours and he was moved to “psychological observation” — a less restrictive status than suicide watch — in which so-called inmate companions took shifts to monitor him in his cell and chronicled his actions every 15 minutes.

Epstein spent his nights pacing his cell, sleeping fitfully and talking with other inmates, according to handwritten notes taken by those observing him.

Often, the entries were mundane: “Epstein is drinking water at sink.” But some were more evocative, suggesting at once his grim predicament and his unrealistic expectations. “Epstein is sitting on the edge of the bed with his head in the palm of his hands,” one inmate wrote on July 29.

In conversations with his minders, Epstein seemed to stick to subjects that would convey the impression he was approachable, yet well connected and successful.

“Epstein and I are talking about the escort business,” an inmate wrote at 8 o’clock one evening. An hour later: “Epstein and I are talking about arbitrage.” Thirty minutes more: “Epstein is talking about celebs he knows.” (The notes do not name any celebrities.)

In another entry, an inmate noted that he and Epstein had talked about driving taxis in New York. “We both drove,” the inmate pointed out.

Throughout it all, Epstein remained curious about his surroundings.

On one of his first evenings, he asked an inmate, whose name was redacted from the records, “about the kinds of crazy things” he had seen in jail. Close to midnight, an inmate reported, Epstein was offered dinner “but refused because it was nasty. (He is right.)”

Epstein talked with an inmate for several hours late into the night about “prison life and etiquette,” according to another entry. Finally, at 2:35 a.m., the inmate noted, “Class is over.” Epstein was asleep in 10 minutes.

‘Being Alive Is Fun’

On the morning of Tuesday, July 9, Epstein underwent the requested formal, in-person suicide risk evaluation. The psychologist, whose name was redacted from the documents, found Epstein to be polite, cooperative, organized, coherent and even showing a sense of humour.

“Epstein adamantly denied any suicidal ideation, intention or plan,” she wrote in her notes. He requested a phone call, a meeting with his attorney, a shower and to brush his teeth.

Epstein described himself to her as a banker with a “big business” and said that “being alive is fun.” He denied having sexually abused anyone, and said he would have a renewed bail hearing the next week, where he believed he would be released.

“He was future-oriented,” the psychologist wrote.

She concluded that suicide watch was not warranted, but that “out of an abundance of caution” Epstein should remain on psychological observation.

The next day, Epstein asked “to be single-celled” but was told he could not be housed alone “for safety and security concerns.”

And the day after that, a psychologist wrote: “He was smirking and said, ‘Why would you ever think I would be suicidal? I am not suicidal and I would never be.’”

Epstein is quoted in the documents as saying he found support in his legal team, which included Reid Weingarten, his lead defense attorney, and Darren Indyke, a longtime personal attorney and an executor of his vast estate. Two other attorneys, Gulnora Tali and Mariel Colón Miró, visited him nearly every business day in the attorney conference room and served as witnesses on a will Epstein had drawn up two days before his death, according to visitor logs included in the documents.

The logs also are revealing for what they lack — any sign of visits by the famous and wealthy friends he socialized with after his 2008 sex-offense convictions in Florida. Instead, the logs show a far more mundane cast of visitors, including a parade of attorneys.

On July 18, it became apparent that Epstein was unlikely to return to his former life and friends anytime soon — if ever — when Judge Richard Berman denied a renewed bail request. Five days later, in the early morning hours of July 23, Epstein made his suicide attempt.

The denial of bail was cited as “a significant disappointment for Mr. Epstein and likely challenged his ability and willingness to adapt to incarceration,” according to the post-mortem psychological reconstruction.

“Given the potential impact of the judge’s decision, a psychologist should have assessed Mr. Epstein’s mental status upon his return to the institution,” it said.

He was removed from suicide watch after about 31 hours, according to the documents, and again placed on psychological observation.

In conversations with people from psychological services over the next week, Epstein repeatedly denied having suicidal thoughts. He smiled and cracked jokes. He told them he was Jewish, and suicide was against his religion.

He also reiterated complaints about the running toilet in his cell, which left him feeling agitated for hours. “He said he sat in the corner and held his ears,” a psychologist wrote. Epstein speculated that he might have autism, noting that Dustin Hoffman’s autistic character in “Rain Man” had an aversion to noise.

Some within the justice system voiced concern about his mental state. Federal marshals who escorted him to a July 31 court hearing returned with a “Prisoner Custody Alert Notice,” which said Epstein might have “suicidal tendencies.”

This prompted another suicide risk assessment by a psychologist. Epstein again denied having suicidal thoughts. The psychologist was persuaded, according to the documents, writing that a suicide watch was not warranted.

“He stated he lives for and plans to finish this case and to go back to his normal life,” the psychologist wrote.

Among the documents obtained by the Times was an undated sign, on orange paper, that read, “Mandatory rounds must be conducted every 30 minutes on Epstein&nbsp;#76318-054 as per god!”

The word “mandatory” was misspelled and underlined in pen, and a question mark was written in after it. The records offered no explanation of the sign, and bureau officials declined to answer questions about it.

The Last Day

When he arrived back in the SHU on July 30, Epstein was given a cellmate, Efrain Reyes, a prisoner who was assisting the government in a drug distribution conspiracy case. Epstein complained that the man’s talking kept him awake at night.

That all changed Aug. 9, when Reyes was transferred out of the jail and the staff was alerted that Epstein would need a new cellmate.

That same day — the day before Epstein died — as he huddled with his attorneys in a conference room, a federal appeals court unsealed about 2,000 pages of previously confidential documents in a defamation lawsuit against Ghislaine Maxwell, his longtime associate and former girlfriend. Maxwell, who was charged last year with sex trafficking and other offences, faces a trial this month in Manhattan.

The materials revealed highly disturbing details of Epstein’s alleged sex-trafficking ring, including graphic depositions, police reports and an Amazon receipt for books like “Training with Miss Abernathy: A Workbook for Erotic Slaves and Their Owners.”

Officials later surmised in the psychological reconstruction that the document release worsened his mental state, “further eroding his previously enjoyed elevated status and potentially implicating some of his associates.”

That evening, according to the reconstruction, a unit manager at the detention centre helped Epstein make a “social” phone call. The manager dialled for Epstein and let him speak for 15 minutes. The call was not properly logged and does not appear to have been recorded. It is not clear from the documents whether the call was on a monitored line.

“I asked inmate Epstein who he was calling,” the unit manager wrote. “He stated his mother.”

Epstein’s mother died in 2004. The call was to his 30-year-old girlfriend, Karyna Shuliak, whom he helped put through dental school, said three people with knowledge of the phone conversation. Epstein, they said, gave no indication during the call that he planned to kill himself.

The call that night, however, was not included in the phone logs provided to the Times by the Bureau of Prisons. The logs show only one social call during his stay — more than a week earlier, on July 30, to Shuliak.

She is one of the largest beneficiaries of several trusts that Epstein set up over the years, according to three people briefed on the matter. Shuliak declined to comment through her attorney, Maurice Sercarz.

After finishing the call, Epstein returned to his cell, where he was alone because no new cellmate had yet been assigned. He was also left unmonitored by two officers on duty, whom prosecutors later accused of spending their time surfing the internet and appearing to be asleep. (This May, the two officers entered into a deferred prosecution agreement on charges that they had falsified jail records about checking on Epstein.)

At 6:30 the next morning, he was found with a bedsheet tied around his neck like a noose. He was pronounced dead an hour later.

About two months after Epstein’s death, an inmate who appears to have worked in the kitchen emailed the psychology department about a conversation he had with a man whose cell had been next to Epstein’s.

He said the other inmate had told him: “Jeffrey Epstein definitely killed himself. Any conspiracy theories to the contrary are ridiculous.” The man had heard Epstein “tearing up his sheet before committing suicide,” the kitchen worker wrote.

“He wanted to kill himself and seized the opportunity when it was available,” he added. “Such is life -&nbsp;or death, in this case.”

The disgraced financier, jailed in Manhattan on federal sex trafficking charges involving teenage girls, was found unconscious on the floor of his cell one morning in July 2019, a strip of bedsheet tied around his bruised neck.

The disgraced financier, jailed in Manhattan on federal sex trafficking charges involving teenage girls, was found unconscious on the floor of his cell one morning in July 2019, a strip of bedsheet tied around his bruised neck. In the hours and days that followed that suicide attempt, Jeffrey Epstein would claim to be living a “wonderful life,” denying any thoughts of ending it, even as he sat on suicide watch and faced daunting legal troubles. “I have no interest in killing myself,” Epstein told a jailhouse psychologist, according to Bureau of Prisons documents that have not previously been made public. He was a “coward” and did not like pain, he explained. “I would not do that to myself.” But two weeks later, he did just that: He died in his cell Aug. 10 in the Metropolitan Correctional Center, having hanged himself with a bedsheet, the medical examiner ruled. After a life of manipulation, Epstein created illusions until the very end, deceiving correctional officers, counsellors and specially trained inmates assigned to monitor him around the clock, according to the documents — among more than 2,000 pages of Federal Bureau of Prisons records obtained by The New York Times after filing a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. The detailed notes and reports compiled by those who interacted with Epstein during his 36 days of detention show how he repeatedly assured them he had much to live for, while also hinting that he was increasingly despondent. The clues prompted too little action by jail and bureau officials, who made mistake after mistake leading up to Epstein’s death, the records reveal. Beyond the legal and administrative matters, the collection of records provides the most intimate and detailed look yet at Epstein’s final days, and offers something often missing from public accounts: his voice. He passed many days closed in a conference room with his attorneys, avoiding the confines of his dank and dirty cell. In conversations with psychologists and other inmates, he spoke of his interest in physics and mathematics and offered tidbits of investment advice. He reminisced about socialising with celebrities, even as he complained about the running toilet in his cell, the orange prison garb, his difficulty sleeping, his dehydration and numbness in his right arm. And where Epstein had once rubbed shoulders with politicians, scientists and Wall Street titans, now he was left to converse about the food in the 12-story detention centre. “Epstein wants to know who’s the best cook on 11 North,” one inmate wrote. The newly obtained records offer no support to the explosion of conspiracy theories that Epstein’s death was not a suicide. They also shed no light on questions raised by his brother and one of his attorneys that he might have been assisted in killing himself. But they do paint a picture of incompetence and sloppiness by some within the Bureau of Prisons, which runs the federal detention centre. An intake screening form erroneously described Epstein as a Black male (he was white), and indicated that he had no prior sex offence convictions, even though he was a registered sex offender with two 2008 convictions in Florida, for solicitation of prostitution and procurement of minors to engage in prostitution. A few social phone calls he made were not recorded, logged or monitored, records show, an apparent violation of jail policy. The night he killed himself, Epstein lied to jail officials and said he wanted to phone his mother — who was long dead. He instead called his girlfriend. Jail personnel left him alone in his cell that night, despite an explicit directive that he be assigned a cellmate. Two days after the suicide, William Barr, then the US attorney general, said there were “serious irregularities” at the correctional centre, but did not elaborate. He later blamed “a perfect storm of screw-ups.” A 15-page psychological reconstruction of Epstein’s death, compiled by bureau officials five weeks later and never before made public, concluded that his identity “appeared to be based on his wealth, power and association with other high-profile individuals.” “The lack of significant interpersonal connections, a complete loss of his status in both the community and among associates, and the idea of potentially spending his life in prison,” the post-mortem continued, “were likely factors contributing to Mr. Epstein’s suicide.” The Bureau of Prisons, in a statement, declined to comment on Epstein’s detention, but said “the safe, secure and humane housing of inmates is BOP’s highest priority.” The bureau said it had created a task force to address the mental health implications of housing inmates alone, and was committed to improving its suicide prevention program, including “continuing to train BOP staff on suicide prevention, risk assessment and emergency responses.” This fall, the Justice Department, citing poor conditions at the jail, also temporarily closed it, moving its prisoners to other facilities. The Times obtained the materials after suing the Bureau of Prisons, which had repeatedly rejected its public-records requests. As part of a settlement, the agency agreed to turn over internal memos and emails, visitor logs, handwritten notes from inmates, and the psychological reconstruction of Epstein’s death. Many of the documents were heavily redacted; some were withheld entirely, including a number of records associated with the earlier suicide attempt. At a hearing in April regarding the Times’ lawsuit, Judge Paul Engelmayer of US District Court in Manhattan said he was “struck by the audacity of the initial denial by the Bureau of Prisons” to make the records available in a case that he described as a “high-profile epic failure.” “It certainly does raise a concern,” the judge added, “that the wagons are being circled.” ‘Talking About Celebs’ Epstein’s stay at the detention center began Saturday, July 6, 2019, after his arrest at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, where he had arrived from Paris on a private jet. An indictment charged that Epstein, 66, had over many years recruited dozens of teenage girls to engage in sex acts with him at his mansion in Manhattan and his estate in Palm Beach, Florida, paying them each hundreds of dollars in cash. If convicted, he faced up to 45 years in prison. He initially was placed in the general inmate population, the jail’s least restrictive area. In an internal email, Hugh Hurwitz, then the Bureau of Prisons’ acting director, later attributed this to an oversight by the U.S. Marshals Service. “Apparently USMS did not indicate that he was a high-profile inmate, and staff were unaware that he was coming so no plans had been established,” he wrote. That evening, according to the post-mortem reconstruction, a facilities assistant found Epstein in his cell looking “distraught, sad and a little confused,” she said in an email to three jail officials. When the assistant asked if he was OK, he said he was. But she was not convinced, she wrote. “He seems dazed and withdrawn.” She added, “Just to be on the safe side and prevent any suicidal thoughts, can someone from Psychology come and talk with him?” No one did at first, according to the records. On Sunday, July 7, the center’s warden, Lamine N’Diaye, properly identified Epstein as “high-profile” and had him moved to the Special Housing Unit, or SHU, on the ninth floor, out of “concerns for his personal safety in general population,” according to Hurwitz’s email. But it was not until 9:30 a.m. that Monday that Epstein was taken for an initial psychological evaluation, as had been suggested when he arrived. That afternoon, Epstein was set to make his first court appearance. Anticipating that he would be denied bail, the jail’s chief psychologist recommended that he be evaluated for suicide risk upon his return, given the media attention and nature of the charges. “Inmate Epstein will likely be receiving bad news in court today, and has multiple risk factors for suicidality as identified by BOP statistics,” the psychologist wrote. “Let’s be proactive.” By the time Epstein returned, it was after normal business hours and he was moved to “psychological observation” — a less restrictive status than suicide watch — in which so-called inmate companions took shifts to monitor him in his cell and chronicled his actions every 15 minutes. Epstein spent his nights pacing his cell, sleeping fitfully and talking with other inmates, according to handwritten notes taken by those observing him. Often, the entries were mundane: “Epstein is drinking water at sink.” But some were more evocative, suggesting at once his grim predicament and his unrealistic expectations. “Epstein is sitting on the edge of the bed with his head in the palm of his hands,” one inmate wrote on July 29. In conversations with his minders, Epstein seemed to stick to subjects that would convey the impression he was approachable, yet well connected and successful. “Epstein and I are talking about the escort business,” an inmate wrote at 8 o’clock one evening. An hour later: “Epstein and I are talking about arbitrage.” Thirty minutes more: “Epstein is talking about celebs he knows.” (The notes do not name any celebrities.) In another entry, an inmate noted that he and Epstein had talked about driving taxis in New York. “We both drove,” the inmate pointed out. Throughout it all, Epstein remained curious about his surroundings. On one of his first evenings, he asked an inmate, whose name was redacted from the records, “about the kinds of crazy things” he had seen in jail. Close to midnight, an inmate reported, Epstein was offered dinner “but refused because it was nasty. (He is right.)” Epstein talked with an inmate for several hours late into the night about “prison life and etiquette,” according to another entry. Finally, at 2:35 a.m., the inmate noted, “Class is over.” Epstein was asleep in 10 minutes. ‘Being Alive Is Fun’ On the morning of Tuesday, July 9, Epstein underwent the requested formal, in-person suicide risk evaluation. The psychologist, whose name was redacted from the documents, found Epstein to be polite, cooperative, organized, coherent and even showing a sense of humour. “Epstein adamantly denied any suicidal ideation, intention or plan,” she wrote in her notes. He requested a phone call, a meeting with his attorney, a shower and to brush his teeth. Epstein described himself to her as a banker with a “big business” and said that “being alive is fun.” He denied having sexually abused anyone, and said he would have a renewed bail hearing the next week, where he believed he would be released. “He was future-oriented,” the psychologist wrote. She concluded that suicide watch was not warranted, but that “out of an abundance of caution” Epstein should remain on psychological observation. The next day, Epstein asked “to be single-celled” but was told he could not be housed alone “for safety and security concerns.” And the day after that, a psychologist wrote: “He was smirking and said, ‘Why would you ever think I would be suicidal? I am not suicidal and I would never be.’” Epstein is quoted in the documents as saying he found support in his legal team, which included Reid Weingarten, his lead defense attorney, and Darren Indyke, a longtime personal attorney and an executor of his vast estate. Two other attorneys, Gulnora Tali and Mariel Colón Miró, visited him nearly every business day in the attorney conference room and served as witnesses on a will Epstein had drawn up two days before his death, according to visitor logs included in the documents. The logs also are revealing for what they lack — any sign of visits by the famous and wealthy friends he socialized with after his 2008 sex-offense convictions in Florida. Instead, the logs show a far more mundane cast of visitors, including a parade of attorneys. On July 18, it became apparent that Epstein was unlikely to return to his former life and friends anytime soon — if ever — when Judge Richard Berman denied a renewed bail request. Five days later, in the early morning hours of July 23, Epstein made his suicide attempt. The denial of bail was cited as “a significant disappointment for Mr. Epstein and likely challenged his ability and willingness to adapt to incarceration,” according to the post-mortem psychological reconstruction. “Given the potential impact of the judge’s decision, a psychologist should have assessed Mr. Epstein’s mental status upon his return to the institution,” it said. He was removed from suicide watch after about 31 hours, according to the documents, and again placed on psychological observation. In conversations with people from psychological services over the next week, Epstein repeatedly denied having suicidal thoughts. He smiled and cracked jokes. He told them he was Jewish, and suicide was against his religion. He also reiterated complaints about the running toilet in his cell, which left him feeling agitated for hours. “He said he sat in the corner and held his ears,” a psychologist wrote. Epstein speculated that he might have autism, noting that Dustin Hoffman’s autistic character in “Rain Man” had an aversion to noise. Some within the justice system voiced concern about his mental state. Federal marshals who escorted him to a July 31 court hearing returned with a “Prisoner Custody Alert Notice,” which said Epstein might have “suicidal tendencies.” This prompted another suicide risk assessment by a psychologist. Epstein again denied having suicidal thoughts. The psychologist was persuaded, according to the documents, writing that a suicide watch was not warranted. “He stated he lives for and plans to finish this case and to go back to his normal life,” the psychologist wrote. Among the documents obtained by the Times was an undated sign, on orange paper, that read, “Mandatory rounds must be conducted every 30 minutes on Epstein #76318-054 as per god!” The word “mandatory” was misspelled and underlined in pen, and a question mark was written in after it. The records offered no explanation of the sign, and bureau officials declined to answer questions about it. The Last Day When he arrived back in the SHU on July 30, Epstein was given a cellmate, Efrain Reyes, a prisoner who was assisting the government in a drug distribution conspiracy case. Epstein complained that the man’s talking kept him awake at night. That all changed Aug. 9, when Reyes was transferred out of the jail and the staff was alerted that Epstein would need a new cellmate. That same day — the day before Epstein died — as he huddled with his attorneys in a conference room, a federal appeals court unsealed about 2,000 pages of previously confidential documents in a defamation lawsuit against Ghislaine Maxwell, his longtime associate and former girlfriend. Maxwell, who was charged last year with sex trafficking and other offences, faces a trial this month in Manhattan. The materials revealed highly disturbing details of Epstein’s alleged sex-trafficking ring, including graphic depositions, police reports and an Amazon receipt for books like “Training with Miss Abernathy: A Workbook for Erotic Slaves and Their Owners.” Officials later surmised in the psychological reconstruction that the document release worsened his mental state, “further eroding his previously enjoyed elevated status and potentially implicating some of his associates.” That evening, according to the reconstruction, a unit manager at the detention centre helped Epstein make a “social” phone call. The manager dialled for Epstein and let him speak for 15 minutes. The call was not properly logged and does not appear to have been recorded. It is not clear from the documents whether the call was on a monitored line. “I asked inmate Epstein who he was calling,” the unit manager wrote. “He stated his mother.” Epstein’s mother died in 2004. The call was to his 30-year-old girlfriend, Karyna Shuliak, whom he helped put through dental school, said three people with knowledge of the phone conversation. Epstein, they said, gave no indication during the call that he planned to kill himself. The call that night, however, was not included in the phone logs provided to the Times by the Bureau of Prisons. The logs show only one social call during his stay — more than a week earlier, on July 30, to Shuliak. She is one of the largest beneficiaries of several trusts that Epstein set up over the years, according to three people briefed on the matter. Shuliak declined to comment through her attorney, Maurice Sercarz. After finishing the call, Epstein returned to his cell, where he was alone because no new cellmate had yet been assigned. He was also left unmonitored by two officers on duty, whom prosecutors later accused of spending their time surfing the internet and appearing to be asleep. (This May, the two officers entered into a deferred prosecution agreement on charges that they had falsified jail records about checking on Epstein.) At 6:30 the next morning, he was found with a bedsheet tied around his neck like a noose. He was pronounced dead an hour later. About two months after Epstein’s death, an inmate who appears to have worked in the kitchen emailed the psychology department about a conversation he had with a man whose cell had been next to Epstein’s. He said the other inmate had told him: “Jeffrey Epstein definitely killed himself. Any conspiracy theories to the contrary are ridiculous.” The man had heard Epstein “tearing up his sheet before committing suicide,” the kitchen worker wrote. “He wanted to kill himself and seized the opportunity when it was available,” he added. “Such is life - or death, in this case.”

I have no interest in killing myself, Epstein told jail psychologist days before he was found dead

Microsoft founder Bill Gates said that he regrets his meetings with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who has also been accused of child sex trafficking.&nbsp;

Speaking to CNN, the billionaire said he had “several dinners” with Epstein in hopes of raising billions of dollars for combating global health issues.&nbsp;

He further claimed that the relationship ended as soon as he realised Epstein’s assurance regarding the philanthropy project was not a “real thing.”

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/bill-gates-melinda-finalise-divorce-court-documents-show-402559">Also read |&nbsp;Bill Gates, Melinda finalise divorce, court documents show&nbsp;</a>

During the interview, Gates said, "I had several dinners with him, you know, hoping that what he said about getting billions of philanthropy for global health through contacts that he had might emerge. When it looked like that wasn't a real thing, that relationship ended".

Earlier, in 2019, Gates told The Wall Street Journal that he had met Epstein, but “didn’t have any business relationship or friendship with him”.

“Gates regrets ever meeting with Epstein and recognises it was an error in judgment to do so,” The New York Times had also quoted a spokesperson for Gates as saying.

Epstein, who had pleaded guilty in two-state prostitution charges and had registered as a sex offender, hanged himself in 2019 awaiting a sex trafficking trial.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates said that he regrets his meetings with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who has also been accused of child sex trafficking. Speaking to CNN, the billionaire said he had “several dinners” with Epstein in hopes of raising billions of dollars for combating global health issues.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates said that he regrets his meetings with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who has also been accused of child sex trafficking. Speaking to CNN, the billionaire said he had “several dinners” with Epstein in hopes of raising billions of dollars for combating global health issues. He further claimed that the relationship ended as soon as he realised Epstein’s assurance regarding the philanthropy project was not a “real thing.” Also read | Bill Gates, Melinda finalise divorce, court documents show During the interview, Gates said, "I had several dinners with him, you know, hoping that what he said about getting billions of philanthropy for global health through contacts that he had might emerge. When it looked like that wasn't a real thing, that relationship ended". Earlier, in 2019, Gates told The Wall Street Journal that he had met Epstein, but “didn’t have any business relationship or friendship with him”. “Gates regrets ever meeting with Epstein and recognises it was an error in judgment to do so,” The New York Times had also quoted a spokesperson for Gates as saying. Epstein, who had pleaded guilty in two-state prostitution charges and had registered as a sex offender, hanged himself in 2019 awaiting a sex trafficking trial.

Bill Gates regrets meeting convicted sex offender Epstein

In her 2016 deposition made public on Thursday, Ghislane Maxwell has strongly rejected allegations that she had seen late financier Jeffrey Epstein have sex with underage girls. She has also rejected suggestions that she helped Epstein arrange illicit sexual encounters.

In her deposition, the British socialite at times appeared insistent and frequently evasive as she responded under oath over 9-1/2 hours to questions from lawyers for Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre in April 2016, as part of a now-settled civil defamation lawsuit against her.

"I can only testify to what I know and the fact (Giuffre) has lied about me from the beginning to the end," Maxwell said.

Ghislaine Maxwell (58) has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges that she helped Epstein recruit and groom underage girls as young as 14 in illegal sexual acts in mid 90s. He has also denied that she lied about her involvement.

Maxwell's 418-page deposition left unresolved who else she might have known was involved in Epstein's orbit. Nearly all names other than hers and Epstein's were blacked out.

But her lawyers had fought hard to keep the deposition under wraps, saying the release could violate her right against self-incrimination, and that bad publicity could make it hard to find an impartial jury in her criminal case.

Maxwell's lawyers have argued the "intimate" and "personal" questions she was asked could suggest Giuffre's lawyers believed they had a factual basis to ask them, even if the suggested misconduct never happened.

At one point, Maxwell called Giuffre an "absolute and total liar" when asked if she and Epstein had three-way sex.

But a federal appeals court on Monday said the public's right to see the deposition and other materials also released on Thursday outweighed Maxwell's concerns.

U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska later directed that the materials be unsealed, which Giuffre and the Miami Herald newspaper had sought.

Maxwell's father was British media mogul Robert Maxwell. Her trial is scheduled for July 2021.

"The unsealing of this transcript has resulted in the public dissemination of salacious questions and answers that can linger in the minds of potential jurors," said Brian McMonagle, a criminal defense lawyer in Philadelphia who is not involved in the case.

Sigrid McCawley, a lawyer for Giuffre, in a statement called the unsealing "a long time coming and a welcome step towards revealing the evidence of the scope and scale of the Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell sex trafficking ring."

Reuters said that lawyers for Maxwell did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Denials

Epstein once counted US President Donald Trump, former US President Bill Clinton and Britain's Prince Andrew as friends. They have not been accused of criminal wrongdoing.

Giuffre, 37, has said Epstein kept her as a "sex slave" with Maxwell's assistance, and told BBC's "Panorama" that Epstein brought her to London in 2001 to meet the prince, one of three occasions when she claimed to have had sex with Andrew.

Andrew has denied the allegations.

Maxwell acknowledged in the deposition having maintained contact with Epstein even after his 2008 guilty plea to Florida state prosecution charges, landing him a 13-month jail sentence.

"I'm a very loyal person and Jeffrey was very good to me when my father passed away," she said.

Maxwell said much of her work for Epstein before then involved hiring architects, cooks, decorators, gardeners, pool cleaners and others to help him maintain six homes.

Epstein's properties included a townhouse on Manhattan's Upper East Side, a home in Palm Beach, Florida, and two entire islands within the U.S. Virgin Islands.

"[A] very small part of my job was from time to time to find adult professional massage therapists for Jeffrey," Maxwell said.

"I never saw any inappropriate underage activities with Jeffrey ever," she added.

Maxwell appeared evasive when a lawyer for Giuffre pressed whether she hired Giuffre to give Epstein an erotic massage, saying Giuffre "held herself out as a masseuse and invited herself to come and give a massage."

She also denied having an array of "schoolgirl" or "black patent leather" outfits for Epstein's masseuses to wear, and said she did not recall a laundry basket of sex toys being kept in the Palm Beach home.

Maxwell also testified that she flew on Epstein's planes with Clinton, but wouldn't characterize the men as friends or acquaintances.

"One of [the] lies she told was that President Clinton was on [Epstein's] island where I was present," Maxwell testified. "Absolutely 1000% that is a flat out total fabrication and lie."

Maxwell was arrested on July 2 in Bradford, New Hampshire, where authorities said she was hiding on a property she bought in December while shielding her identity.

She is locked up in a Brooklyn jail after the judge in her criminal case called her an unacceptable flight risk.

Epstein killed himself at age 66 in August 2019 at a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges announced the previous month.

He had entered a non-prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors in 2007, before pleading guilty to the Florida state charges. That arrangement is now widely considered to have been too lenient.

(With Reuters inputs)

In her 2016 deposition made public on Thursday, Ghislane Maxwell has strongly rejected allegations that she had seen late financier Jeffrey Epstein have sex with underage girls.

In her 2016 deposition made public on Thursday, Ghislane Maxwell has strongly rejected allegations that she had seen late financier Jeffrey Epstein have sex with underage girls. She has also rejected suggestions that she helped Epstein arrange illicit sexual encounters. In her deposition, the British socialite at times appeared insistent and frequently evasive as she responded under oath over 9-1/2 hours to questions from lawyers for Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre in April 2016, as part of a now-settled civil defamation lawsuit against her. "I can only testify to what I know and the fact (Giuffre) has lied about me from the beginning to the end," Maxwell said. Ghislaine Maxwell (58) has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges that she helped Epstein recruit and groom underage girls as young as 14 in illegal sexual acts in mid 90s. He has also denied that she lied about her involvement. Maxwell's 418-page deposition left unresolved who else she might have known was involved in Epstein's orbit. Nearly all names other than hers and Epstein's were blacked out. But her lawyers had fought hard to keep the deposition under wraps, saying the release could violate her right against self-incrimination, and that bad publicity could make it hard to find an impartial jury in her criminal case. Maxwell's lawyers have argued the "intimate" and "personal" questions she was asked could suggest Giuffre's lawyers believed they had a factual basis to ask them, even if the suggested misconduct never happened. At one point, Maxwell called Giuffre an "absolute and total liar" when asked if she and Epstein had three-way sex. But a federal appeals court on Monday said the public's right to see the deposition and other materials also released on Thursday outweighed Maxwell's concerns. U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska later directed that the materials be unsealed, which Giuffre and the Miami Herald newspaper had sought. Maxwell's father was British media mogul Robert Maxwell. Her trial is scheduled for July 2021. "The unsealing of this transcript has resulted in the public dissemination of salacious questions and answers that can linger in the minds of potential jurors," said Brian McMonagle, a criminal defense lawyer in Philadelphia who is not involved in the case. Sigrid McCawley, a lawyer for Giuffre, in a statement called the unsealing "a long time coming and a welcome step towards revealing the evidence of the scope and scale of the Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell sex trafficking ring." Reuters said that lawyers for Maxwell did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Denials Epstein once counted US President Donald Trump, former US President Bill Clinton and Britain's Prince Andrew as friends. They have not been accused of criminal wrongdoing. Giuffre, 37, has said Epstein kept her as a "sex slave" with Maxwell's assistance, and told BBC's "Panorama" that Epstein brought her to London in 2001 to meet the prince, one of three occasions when she claimed to have had sex with Andrew. Andrew has denied the allegations. Maxwell acknowledged in the deposition having maintained contact with Epstein even after his 2008 guilty plea to Florida state prosecution charges, landing him a 13-month jail sentence. "I'm a very loyal person and Jeffrey was very good to me when my father passed away," she said. Maxwell said much of her work for Epstein before then involved hiring architects, cooks, decorators, gardeners, pool cleaners and others to help him maintain six homes. Epstein's properties included a townhouse on Manhattan's Upper East Side, a home in Palm Beach, Florida, and two entire islands within the U.S. Virgin Islands. "[A] very small part of my job was from time to time to find adult professional massage therapists for Jeffrey," Maxwell said. "I never saw any inappropriate underage activities with Jeffrey ever," she added. Maxwell appeared evasive when a lawyer for Giuffre pressed whether she hired Giuffre to give Epstein an erotic massage, saying Giuffre "held herself out as a masseuse and invited herself to come and give a massage." She also denied having an array of "schoolgirl" or "black patent leather" outfits for Epstein's masseuses to wear, and said she did not recall a laundry basket of sex toys being kept in the Palm Beach home. Maxwell also testified that she flew on Epstein's planes with Clinton, but wouldn't characterize the men as friends or acquaintances. "One of [the] lies she told was that President Clinton was on [Epstein's] island where I was present," Maxwell testified. "Absolutely 1000% that is a flat out total fabrication and lie." Maxwell was arrested on July 2 in Bradford, New Hampshire, where authorities said she was hiding on a property she bought in December while shielding her identity. She is locked up in a Brooklyn jail after the judge in her criminal case called her an unacceptable flight risk. Epstein killed himself at age 66 in August 2019 at a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges announced the previous month. He had entered a non-prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors in 2007, before pleading guilty to the Florida state charges. That arrangement is now widely considered to have been too lenient. (With Reuters inputs)

Ghislaine Maxwell denies witnessing underage sex in Epstein deposition

&nbsp;President Donald&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;said on Tuesday that he wished alleged sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell well, noting that he had met her multiple times in the past, but he had little else to say on the case involving the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Trump, speaking at his first coronavirus briefing in weeks, was asked if he thinks Maxwell will "turn in powerful men" following her arrest, given that she was the longtime associate of Epstein and was his alleged co-conspirator.

"I don't know, I haven't really been following it too much,"&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;said of the case.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-says-ghislaine-maxwell-deserves-no-special-treatment-urges-detention-313081">US says Ghislaine Maxwell deserves no 'special treatment,' urges detention</a>

Maxwell was arrested early this month in New Hampshire, where authorities said she had been hiding at a sprawling property she bought while shielding her identity.

"I just wish her well, frankly,"&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;said. "I've met her numerous times over the years, especially since I lived in Palm Beach, and I guess they lived in Palm Beach, but I wish her well, whatever it is."

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/ghislaine-maxwell-denied-bail-in-epstein-sex-abuse-case-313478/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Maxwell, 58, has denied charges she lured underage girls for Epstein to sexually abuse and has pleaded not guilty. A US&nbsp;District Court judge in Manhattan denied bail at her hearing last week, saying the wealthy socialite posed a flight risk.

Prosecutors have accused Maxwell, 58, of helping Epstein recruit and eventually abuse girls as young as 14 from 1994 to 1997 and lying about her role in depositions in 2016. Her trial is set to start on July 12, 2021.

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he wished alleged sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell well, noting that he had met her multiple times in the past, but he had little else to say on the case involving the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he wished alleged sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell well, noting that he had met her multiple times in the past, but he had little else to say on the case involving the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Trump, speaking at his first coronavirus briefing in weeks, was asked if he thinks Maxwell will "turn in powerful men" following her arrest, given that she was the longtime associate of Epstein and was his alleged co-conspirator. "I don't know, I haven't really been following it too much," Trump said of the case. Also read: US says Ghislaine Maxwell deserves no 'special treatment,' urges detention Maxwell was arrested early this month in New Hampshire, where authorities said she had been hiding at a sprawling property she bought while shielding her identity. "I just wish her well, frankly," Trump said. "I've met her numerous times over the years, especially since I lived in Palm Beach, and I guess they lived in Palm Beach, but I wish her well, whatever it is." Maxwell, 58, has denied charges she lured underage girls for Epstein to sexually abuse and has pleaded not guilty. A US District Court judge in Manhattan denied bail at her hearing last week, saying the wealthy socialite posed a flight risk. Prosecutors have accused Maxwell, 58, of helping Epstein recruit and eventually abuse girls as young as 14 from 1994 to 1997 and lying about her role in depositions in 2016. Her trial is set to start on July 12, 2021.

'I wish her well': Trump comments on arrest of Epstein aide, alleged sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell

Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend and longtime associate of the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, was arrested in New Hampshire on Thursday (July 3) on US charges of luring underage girls so that Epstein could sexually abuse them. Now in a new photo, Jeffrey Epstein's aide Ghislaine Maxwell can be seen sitting on the UK throne.

New photo involves royal family in Epstein scandal

Ghislaine&nbsp;Maxwell, the former girlfriend and longtime associate of the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, was arrested in New Hampshire on Thursday on US&nbsp;charges of luring underage girls so that Epstein could sexually abuse them.

The whereabouts of the 58-year-old had been unknown following the suicide of her former boyfriend Epstein in August 2019 while awaited trial, faces six counts relating to his sex crimes.

Ghislaine&nbsp;Maxwell&nbsp;is charged with four counts related to procuring and transporting minors for illegal sex acts and two counts of perjury, according to the indictment by federal prosecutors in New York.

Also see:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/jeffrey-epstein-how-the-man-with-famous-friends-fell-apart-242546">Jeffrey Epstein: How the man with famous friends fell apart</a>

She faces an effective life sentence if found guilty.

FBI agents and New York police detained the daughter of late newspaper baron Robert&nbsp;Maxwell&nbsp;"without incident" in Bradford, New Hampshire at 8:30 am.

<img alt="Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in New York in 2005" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="cc40480c-ff58-448c-a5e0-3ec5affa173f" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/_108283710_055796018-1.jpg" />

Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in New York in 2005

The arrest of the British socialite adds another twist in the mystery of Epstein, whose high-flying lifestyle included private Caribbean islands and powerful connections that his victims say allowed him to abuse minors with impunity.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/prince-andrew-falsely-portraying-himself-as-willing-says-us-prosecutors-over-epstein-304409">Prince Andrew 'falsely portraying himself as willing' says US prosecutors over Epstein</a>

Epstein, 66, was arrested in July 2019. He hanged himself in Manhattan's Metropolitan Correctional Center on August 10 while awaiting trial on charges of trafficking minors for sex. He had pleaded not guilty.

In a 2003 Vanity Fair article, Epstein was quoted as saying&nbsp;Maxwell&nbsp;was his “best friend.”

Several of his accusers have said&nbsp;Maxwell&nbsp;maintained a network of girls to perform sexual favors for Epstein, a registered sex offender and wealthy hedge fund manager who hobnobbed with the rich and famous.

He has been linked socially to numerous powerful figures, from President Donald Trump to former President Bill Clinton and Britain's Prince Andrew.

In June, US&nbsp;prosecutors accused the prince of evading their efforts to question him about his contacts with Epstein.

The 60-year-old, vehemently denies claims he had sex with a 17-year-old girl procured by Epstein.

Virginia Giuffre alleges she was trafficked for sex with Epstein's friends, and says she had sex with the prince at&nbsp;Maxwell's London home in 2001.

Andrew has publicly stated he will cooperate with any appropriate law enforcement agency. US&nbsp;Attorney General William Barr said in June there were no plans to extradite Andrew.

Since Epstein's arrest and death last year, questions have arisen how he built his vast wealth, which included two privately owned Caribbean islands, multiple homes and one of the largest mansions in Manhattan.

Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend and longtime associate of the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, was arrested in New Hampshire on Thursday on US charges of luring underage girls so that Epstein could sexually abuse them.

Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend and longtime associate of the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, was arrested in New Hampshire on Thursday on US charges of luring underage girls so that Epstein could sexually abuse them. The whereabouts of the 58-year-old had been unknown following the suicide of her former boyfriend Epstein in August 2019 while awaited trial, faces six counts relating to his sex crimes. Ghislaine Maxwell is charged with four counts related to procuring and transporting minors for illegal sex acts and two counts of perjury, according to the indictment by federal prosecutors in New York. Also see: Jeffrey Epstein: How the man with famous friends fell apart She faces an effective life sentence if found guilty. FBI agents and New York police detained the daughter of late newspaper baron Robert Maxwell "without incident" in Bradford, New Hampshire at 8:30 am. Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in New York in 2005 The arrest of the British socialite adds another twist in the mystery of Epstein, whose high-flying lifestyle included private Caribbean islands and powerful connections that his victims say allowed him to abuse minors with impunity. Also read: Prince Andrew 'falsely portraying himself as willing' says US prosecutors over Epstein Epstein, 66, was arrested in July 2019. He hanged himself in Manhattan's Metropolitan Correctional Center on August 10 while awaiting trial on charges of trafficking minors for sex. He had pleaded not guilty. In a 2003 Vanity Fair article, Epstein was quoted as saying Maxwell was his “best friend.” Several of his accusers have said Maxwell maintained a network of girls to perform sexual favors for Epstein, a registered sex offender and wealthy hedge fund manager who hobnobbed with the rich and famous. He has been linked socially to numerous powerful figures, from President Donald Trump to former President Bill Clinton and Britain's Prince Andrew. In June, US prosecutors accused the prince of evading their efforts to question him about his contacts with Epstein. The 60-year-old, vehemently denies claims he had sex with a 17-year-old girl procured by Epstein. Virginia Giuffre alleges she was trafficked for sex with Epstein's friends, and says she had sex with the prince at Maxwell's London home in 2001. Andrew has publicly stated he will cooperate with any appropriate law enforcement agency. US Attorney General William Barr said in June there were no plans to extradite Andrew. Since Epstein's arrest and death last year, questions have arisen how he built his vast wealth, which included two privately owned Caribbean islands, multiple homes and one of the largest mansions in Manhattan.

Jeffrey Epstein's ex-girlfriend and confidant Ghislaine Maxwell charged and arrested

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