As Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche meets with Ghislaine Maxwell in Florida, a central question is whether Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime accomplice will tell the truth. Before and after Maxwell was convicted of sex trafficking minors in 2021, prosecutors and the judge who oversaw the case said that Maxwell made multiple false statements.
“The defendant’s willingness to brazenly lie under oath about her conduct, including some of the conduct charged in the Indictment, strongly suggests her true motive has been and remains to avoid being held accountable for her crimes,” prosecutors wrote in a motion arguing that Maxwell should be jailed pending trial.
Prosecutors added that Maxwell also lied when she was given a chance to acknowledge her actions in a 2016 civil suit.“ When the defendant was given the opportunity to address her conduct with minors in the context of a civil suit, she lied repeatedly,” they wrote.
Maxwell’s attorneys said at the time that “the questions asked were confusing, ambiguous, and improperly formed.” They added, “There were no ‘crimes’ concealed by Ms. Maxwell’s answers.”
After Maxwell was found guiltyofrecruiting, grooming and trafficking multiple teenage girls for Epstein,JudgeAlison Nathannoted that Maxwell had not accepted responsibility for her crimes.
“Ms. Maxwell today acknowledged the courage of the victims, talked about the pain and anguish they expressed, to some extent acknowledged the pain and suffering,” Nathan said. “What wasn’t expressed was acceptance of responsibility.”
Jack Scarola, a lawyer who represents roughly twenty Epstein victims, said that Maxwell’s history of mendacity shows that any investigator who questions her must be thoroughly prepared. “It is apparent to us that approaching an interview casually will be a complete waste of time,” he said.
Maxwell’s attorney, David Oscar Markus,did not respond to a request for comment. In a statement to NBC News earlier this week, Markus said, “Ghislaine will always testify truthfully. We are grateful to President Trump for his commitment to uncovering the truth in this case.”
New Hampshire house
Maxwell attempted to hide her whereabouts from FBI agents before she was arrested in 2021, according to prosecutors.Maxwell, a daughter of the late British publishing magnate Robert Maxwell, was livingin a 4,300-square-foot timber-frame houseon a 156-acre propertyin rural New Hampshire. Records showed that it was purchased fora little more than $1 millionby an anonymous limited liability corporation the previous year.
After the agents moved past a security guard hired by Maxwell, they saw her peering out a window from inside the house. After Maxwell did not respond to knocks on the door, agents broke down the door and entered,according to court documents.
During an FBI search of the residence, they found one of Maxwell’s phones wrapped in tinfoil. Prosecutors called that a haphazard and ineffective way to try to thwart law enforcement cell phone surveillance.
After her arrest, Maxwell did not state the liquid assets at her disposal, as required by her bail application, according to prosecutors.Maxwelllisted accounts at an English bank with “maximum values totaling well over $2 million.” But she did not disclose a Swiss bank account with an approximate balance of $4 million.
Prosecutors wrote, “to the extent the defendant now refuses to account for her ownership of or access to vast wealth, it is not because it does not exist, it is because she is attempting to hide it.”
Civil case deposition
After her arrest, Maxwell was also charged with two counts of perjury due to false statements she made in a deposition under oath in the 2016 civil case. Prosecutors alleged that Maxwell lied when she said she was not aware of Epstein’s efforts to recruit underage girls for sex.
Maxwell also lied when she claimed she was unaware of anyone 18 years or younger being on Epstein’s properties, they said. And Maxwell lied when she denied that she had sexual contact with other women while with Epstein, and that Epstein had sex toys.
After prosecutors secured a conviction against Maxwell, they declined to move forward with a court-ordered trial on the perjury charges.
Legal experts say that cooperating witnesses who have previously lied can still be effective witnesses if there is evidence that corroborates their claims. Their credibility can also be boosted if they give a compelling reason for why they lied.
Whether prosecutors, lawmakers and the public find Maxwell credible will likely not be known for weeks. After her meeting with Deputy Attorney General Blanche on Thursday, Maxwell is scheduled to be deposed by members of the House Oversight Committee on August 11th.
