Jeffrey Epstein’s Friend Ghislaine Maxwell Arrested, Accused of Recruiting Victims

It's been almost a year since Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his cell from a apparent suicide, and investigators today made another arrest in connection to Epstein's years of grooming and abusing young girls.

ABC News reports that 58-year-old Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested by FBI agents in New Hampshire Thursday morning without incident. She's been charged with conspiring to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts and perjury. She could face additional charges as well.

Maxwell is the daughter of former British publishing giant Robert Maxwell, who, after his death, was found to have committed massive financial fraud. Ghislaine became a socialite (a "career" in which you basically float from fancy party to fancy party while ostensibly raising money for charity) and eventually floated to the U.S. and became close friends with Epstein.

The New York Times reported that Maxwell worked for a number of Epstein's businesses and was once his girlfriend. Last year, she filed a lawsuit against Epstein's estate, claiming that Epstein had promised to pay for her legal fees and security after she was accused.

Maxwell managed homes for Epstein in the Virgin Islands, New York, Paris, Florida, and New Mexico - some of which were sites at which Epstein preyed upon girls. Some have accused Maxwell of not only knowing of the abuse, but recruiting girls for Epstein. Lawsuits from multiple accusers have been filed against Maxwell since 2015.

Maxwell has a history of being unreachable when legal documents need to be served to her, so one wonders how authorities were able to take her into custody Thursday. Did they get lucky? Did she surrender?

Everyone is entitled to due process under the law and the presumption of innocence. These are principles that help us ride that razor-thin line between absolute authoritarianism and Mad Max-style chaos.

That said, I can't help but be creeped out by anyone who spent that much time with Epstein, and the evidence so far seems pretty damning.