Ghislaine Maxwell

Ghislaine Maxwell is a British socialite who served as Jeffrey Epstein's closest associate and primary accomplice in his sex trafficking operation. The archive documents 13,542 emails spanning 1990 to 2015, reflecting Maxwell's central role in managing Epstein's properties, coordinating travel, and facilitating his abuse of underage girls. On December 29, 2021, Maxwell was convicted on five federal counts including conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, and sex trafficking of a minor. She was sentenced to 240 months' imprisonment. The archive reveals Maxwell's operational role in the criminal enterprise through correspondence with elite figures including Bill Clinton, Peter Mandelson, Doug Band, and numerous financial advisors at UBS managing accounts tied to the TerraMar Project, her ocean conservation nonprofit that served as a vehicle for financial transactions during the investigation.

Background#

Maxwell is the daughter of Robert Maxwell, the British media proprietor who died in 1991 under suspicious circumstances. Following her father's death and the collapse of his business empire, she relocated to New York and developed a relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. The federal indictment filed June 29, 2020 describes Maxwell as among Epstein's "closest associates" during the 1990s and early 2000s, noting she "was in an intimate relationship with Epstein and also was paid by Epstein to manage his various properties."

From approximately 1994 to 2004, Maxwell recruited, groomed, and facilitated Epstein's sexual abuse of numerous underage girls, according to the Second Circuit's 2024 opinion affirming her conviction. The court found that Maxwell "groomed numerous young women to engage in sexual activity with Epstein by building friendships with these young women, gradually normalizing discussions of sexual topics and sexual abuse."

In 2012, Maxwell founded the TerraMar Project, a nonprofit ocean conservation organization. The archive documents extensive financial activity through this entity in 2019, including a $100,000 wire transfer Maxwell described as "for legal services" to Leah Saffian Inc., processed through her UBS accounts in August 2019.

Virginia Giuffre filed a defamation lawsuit against Maxwell in September 2015, alleging Maxwell had called her a liar after Giuffre publicly described Maxwell's role in recruiting her as a minor and facilitating Epstein's abuse. Following Epstein's arrest in July 2019 and death in August 2019, federal prosecutors arrested Maxwell on July 2, 2020 in New Hampshire. Her trial concluded on December 29, 2021 with guilty verdicts on five of six counts. She was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment on June 28, 2022, a sentence upheld on appeal by the Second Circuit on September 17, 2024.

Correspondence with Epstein#

Maxwell's correspondence demonstrates her role as Epstein's operational partner and property manager. The archive contains 13,542 emails with Maxwell as sender or recipient, the highest volume for any individual in the network apart from Epstein himself. Maxwell shared 5,445 emails directly with Epstein or his aliases.

The emails reveal Maxwell managing Epstein's Paris apartment and coordinating staffing. She wrote to a contact referred to as "Hubby": "I have a message for you from JE -I'm going to be in Paris, I'd appreciate things be ready then, around May 1st". In September 2002, Maxwell arranged to interview a Sri Lankan applicant with French citizenship for a position, scheduling the meeting for October 1-2 in Paris.

Maxwell coordinated travel with political figures. She emailed Peter Mandelson: "JE and I will be in Europe coming w/Clinton that week of the 1st Oct and we would love to" see him. Doug Band, Clinton's aide, sent Maxwell a message: "Happy new year All set on the trip?".

Epstein's guidance to Maxwell about screening potential associates appears in his message: "meet him,,,,he's interesting,,, very much like joe roberts... boring, rich„ hick„ remember he is the one who was blackmailed by the gir in p.b. „, from donad trumps party".

Maxwell coordinated purchases of counterfeit luxury goods. She wrote about buying "100 watches" and directed someone to "go to any of the watch booths in fact you will probably have to go to several to get the 50 I am now after" at a building with "hundreds of shops that sold fake watches fake handbags."

In August 2019, as federal prosecutors investigated Epstein's network following his July 2019 arrest, Maxwell directed a $100,000 wire transfer through her UBS accounts, noting "This is also for legal services". The transfer went to Leah Saffian Inc., processed by her wealth advisors at UBS including Lyle Casriel, Vijai Ramdeen, and Elyanna Rivas.

Connections#

Maxwell maintained extensive correspondence with elite figures in Epstein's network. Her top correspondents include Jeffrey Epstein (5,445 shared emails), Philip Levine (419 emails), Ted Waitt (398 emails), Tom Pritzker (371 emails), and Doug Band (252 emails).

Maxwell communicated frequently with UBS wealth management staff managing her accounts, including Vijai Ramdeen (318 emails), Juliana Shkreli (300 emails), Elyanna Rivas (251 emails), Lyle Casriel (187 emails), and Scott Stackman (185 emails). These accounts were linked to the TerraMar Project and processed the August 2019 $100,000 wire Maxwell designated for legal services.

Maxwell coordinated with political figures including Peter Mandelson (65 emails), the British Labour politician, regarding meetings with Clinton and European travel. She corresponded with Bill Clinton (identified as "WJC" in 129 emails) and his aide Doug Band about international trips.

Business connections include Casey Wasserman (113 emails), entertainment executive and Wasserman Media Group CEO, and Louis O'Neill (70 emails).

Document References#

Maxwell appears extensively in federal court records documenting her prosecution and related civil litigation. The June 29, 2020 sealed indictment charged Maxwell with conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, and perjury. The indictment details her grooming of three minor victims between 1994 and 1997, describing how Maxwell "attempted to befriend some of Epstein's minor victims prior to their abuse, including by asking the victims about their lives, their schools, and their families," then worked to "normalize sexual abuse for a minor victim by, among other things, discussing sexual topics, undressing in front of the victim, being present when a minor victim was undressed, and/or being present for sex acts involving the minor victim and Epstein."

The Second Circuit's September 17, 2024 opinion affirming Maxwell's conviction rejected her arguments that Epstein's 2007 Non-Prosecution Agreement with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida barred her prosecution, finding the agreement "did not affirmatively show that the NPA was intended to bind multiple districts" and concluding "nothing in the text of the NPA or its negotiation history suggests that the NPA precluded USAO-SDNY from prosecuting Maxwell."

Flight logs filed in Giuffre v. Maxwell document 23 flights between December 2000 and August 2002 with Maxwell, Epstein, and Virginia Roberts as passengers, traveling to Epstein's properties in Palm Beach, the U.S. Virgin Islands, New Mexico, and international destinations. The logs show Maxwell present on flights with other young women including "Emmy Taylor," "Gwendolyn Beck," "Sarah Kellen," and "Cindy Lopez."

Virginia Giuffre's September 21, 2015 defamation complaint alleged Maxwell "sexually abused Giuffre and helped Epstein to sexually abuse Giuffre" and that in January 2015, Maxwell "undertook a concerted and malicious campaign to discredit Giuffre" by directing her agent to issue statements calling Giuffre's allegations "untrue," "obvious lies," and claiming they had been "shown to be untrue." The complaint describes how Maxwell "was served with a subpoena for deposition" but "claimed that her mother fell deathly ill and that consequently she was leaving the United States for London with no plans of ever returning," though "within weeks of using that excuse to avoid testifying, Maxwell had returned to New York."

Multiple civil complaints filed by Epstein victims name Maxwell as a defendant. Maria Farmer's November 2019 complaint, Juliette Bryant's November 2019 complaint, Annie Farmer's case, and others describe Maxwell's role in facilitating their abuse. In 2020, Maxwell herself filed suit in the Virgin Islands Superior Court seeking funds from Epstein's estate for legal fees, claiming she was owed reimbursement under agreements with Epstein.

Visits to Epstein Properties#

Manhattan Townhouse (9 East 71st Street): Maxwell managed operations at Epstein's New York residence and was present there regularly throughout the 1990s and 2000s. The federal indictment identifies the "multi-story private residence on the Upper East Side of Manhattan" as one of the primary locations where victims were groomed and abused. Flight logs and court documents confirm Maxwell's frequent presence at this property.

Palm Beach Residence: Flight logs document Maxwell traveling to Epstein's Palm Beach estate on December 11, 2000; January 26, 2001; January 30, 2001; and numerous other occasions through 2002. The federal indictment identifies Palm Beach as a location where Minor Victim-1 was sexually abused by Epstein between 1994 and 1997, with Maxwell present for and involved in some abuse.

U.S. Virgin Islands (Little St. James Island): Maxwell traveled to Epstein's private island on at least nine documented occasions between December 2000 and April 2001, including flights on December 17, 2000; January 27, 2001; January 30, 2001; April 11, 2001; and April 16, 2001, with Virginia Roberts present.

New Mexico Ranch: Flight logs document Maxwell traveling to Epstein's Santa Fe ranch on March 29, 2001; March 31, 2001; July 11, 2001; July 16, 2001; and August 17, 2002. The federal indictment describes how "MAXWELL interacted with Minor Victim-2 on at least one occasion in or about 1996 at Epstein's residence in New Mexico when Minor Victim-2 was under the age of 18," noting "MAXWELL and Epstein took Minor Victim-2 to a movie and MAXWELL took Minor Victim-2 shopping" before Maxwell "began her efforts to groom Minor Victim-2 for abuse by Epstein."

Paris Apartment: Maxwell coordinated operations at Epstein's Paris residence. She emailed about ensuring "things be ready" for Epstein's arrival around May 1st and scheduled meetings to interview staff for the Paris property in October.

London Residence: The federal indictment identifies "MAXWELL's personal residence in London, England" as a location where victims were groomed and abused. According to the indictment, "MAXWELL groomed and befriended Minor Victim-3 in London, England between approximately 1994 and 1995," introducing the victim to Epstein and arranging "multiple interactions between Minor Victim-3 and Epstein" where "Epstein sexually abused Minor Victim-3."

Criminal Activity#

The archive documents Maxwell's central role as Epstein's accomplice in a multi-year sex trafficking conspiracy targeting underage girls. The federal indictment charges that "from at least in or about 1994, up to and including at least in or about 1997, GHISLAINE MAXWELL, the defendant, assisted, facilitated, and contributed to Jeffrey Epstein's abuse of minor girls by, among other things, helping Epstein to recruit, groom, and ultimately abuse victims known to MAXWELL and Epstein to be under the age of 18. The victims were as young as 14 years old when they were groomed and abused by MAXWELL and Epstein."

Maxwell's pattern involved befriending victims to gain their trust, then normalizing sexual abuse. The indictment details how Maxwell "attempted to befriend some of Epstein's minor victims prior to their abuse, including by asking the victims about their lives, their schools, and their families," taking victims "to the movies or shopping," then working to "normalize sexual abuse for a minor victim by, among other things, discussing sexual topics, undressing in front of the victim, being present when the minor victim was undressed, and/or being present for sex acts involving the minor victim and Epstein." The indictment notes "MAXWELL'S presence during minor victims' interactions with Epstein, including interactions where the minor victim was undressed or that involved sex acts with Epstein, helped put the victims at ease because an adult woman was present."

Maxwell encouraged victims to provide "massages to Epstein, including sexualized massages during which a minor victim would be fully or partially nude," with "many of those massages result[ing] in Epstein sexually abusing the minor victims." In some instances, the indictment states, "MAXWELL was present for and participated in the sexual abuse of minor victims."

The flight logs document Maxwell facilitating the interstate transportation of Virginia Roberts, then a minor, on 23 flights between December 2000 and August 2002 to Epstein's properties in Florida, New York, New Mexico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as international destinations.

Maxwell's conduct continued through at least 2016, when she provided false testimony under oath. The indictment charges that "in or around 2016, in the context of a deposition as part of civil litigation, GHISLAINE MAXWELL, the defendant, repeatedly provided false and perjurious statements, under oath, regarding, among other subjects, her role in facilitating the abuse of minor victims by Jeffrey Epstein."

On December 29, 2021, a federal jury convicted Maxwell of conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, and sex trafficking of a minor. The Second Circuit upheld her conviction on September 17, 2024.

Maxwell's conduct constitutes violations of: 18 U.S.C. § 1591 (sex trafficking of minors); 18 U.S.C. § 2423(a) (transportation of minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity); 18 U.S.C. § 2422 (coercion and enticement); 18 U.S.C. § 371 (conspiracy); 18 U.S.C. § 2 (aiding and abetting); and 18 U.S.C. § 1623 (perjury). See Potentially Relevant Criminal Statutes.