Jeffrey Epstein’s former associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, has had sex trafficking charges and another alleged victim added to her superseding indictment, as prosecutors claim the pair’s conspiracy to sexually abuse girls stretched over a decade, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.
The British socialite now faces an eight-count indictment and is expected to go to trial in New York on July 12, and it’s unknown if the new charges will postpone that date.
The rewritten indictment also adds a fourth victim to the allegations, who says she was sexually abused multiple times by Epstein between 2001 and 2004 at his Palm Beach residence, per Forbes, beginning when she was just 14.
The indictment further alleges that Maxwell encouraged and enticed the girl to recruit others to perform “sexualised massages” for Epstein.
Maxwell, who has been in federal prison since July 2020, previously pleaded not guilty to helping Epstein recruit and groom three teenage girls for sex between 1994 and 1997.
In a Times report from last year, one alleged Epstein survivor said Maxwell threatened her life after she notified police departments and the FBI about Epstein’s alleged behaviour.
“Better be careful and watch your back,” she recalled Maxwell telling her. “I know you go to the West Side Highway all the time. While you’re out there, just be really careful, because there are a lot of ways to die there.”
Virginia Roberts Giuffre, one of the most outspoken of Epstein’s survivors, maintains that Maxwell introduced her to British royalty Prince Andrew, adding that she was forced to have sex with him.
Prince Andrew and the royal family have so far denied all claims, with Andrew himself telling journalist Emily Maitlis that he has “no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever” in his infamous defense interview last year. He has since retired from all royal responsibilities permanently.
According to The Guardian, if she is convicted, Maxwell could face up to 35 years in prison.
