Ghislaine Maxwell 'quizzed in jail' about high-profile Brits' links to Epstein
Ghislaine Maxwell has been quizzed about other Brits' relationships with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. US government lawyers interviewed her about more than 100 people connected to her ex-boyfriend.
As well as Prince Andrew, they include three other Brits linked to Epstein's inner circle. One is described as a 'high-profile public figure' whose long-standing friendship with the New York financier raised concern even before his 2019 jailhouse suicide.
The other two are known to have spent significant time at Epstein's various homes, including his private island in the Caribbean, his Manhattan townhouse and his New Mexico ranch. Maxwell – serving 20 years in a US jail for helping Epstein abuse young girls – discussed the names during interviews with the Deputy US Attorney General, Todd Blanche.
Prison
They focused on UK associates of Epstein and British socialite Maxwell during the 1990s and early 2000s.
'There was more than just Prince Andrew known to Epstein,' said a source. 'Blanche asked detailed, forensic questions about three other British nationals.
'He was very specific about dates, locations and their relationship to Epstein. It was clear the Department of Justice is now pulling on threads that go far beyond just the Duke where Brits are concerned.'
The interviews took place two weeks ago in Tallahassee, near the Florida prison where Maxwell was held. Since then, she has been moved to a cushier jail in Bryan, Texas.
Two of the Brits are understood to have flown on Epstein's private jet, the Lolita Express, several times. The third was present at multiple dinners hosted by Epstein in New York and Palm Beach.
'The DoJ has questions about why these individuals were in Epstein's orbit, what they witnessed, and what they may have known,' the insider said. 'Blanche was clearly well briefed and Maxwell knows she's not the last Brit they'll be speaking to.'
The interviews come amid a growing storm over President Donald Trump 's friendship with Epstein and Maxwell.
Backlash
Trump had vowed to release all the files relating to the paedophile if he won re-election but has now reneged on his promise.His U-turn has sparked a backlash among even his fanatical supporters.
US lawmakers have signalled their support for public hearings into how Epstein operated with apparent impunity for decades – and how he secured sweetheart deals from prosecutors. Sources say Blanche's involvement in the Epstein case shows that Trump is braced for further fallout. Blanche won the second most powerful US legal post after fighting Trump's criminal cases last year.
Meanwhile, Ghislaine – daughter of fraudster tycoon Robert Maxwell – is seeking a presidential pardon and to have her 2022 conviction overturned.
'There's a belief she's holding out for a pardon or some kind of deal to commute her sentence if she co-operates,' said another source. 'But the Americans want more than vague recollections, they want names, locations, and documents.'
A contacts book of Epstein's found by investigators lists more than 300 individuals from the UK. Maxwell's name, alongside Andrew's, appears repeatedly in flight logs, calendars and photographs held by the FBI.
Victims of Epstein – who hanged himself in jail aged 66 while awaiting trial – and Maxwell, 63, have spoken out against any leniency for her. Last week, the family of Virginia Giuffre branded Maxwell a 'monster who deserves to rot in prison for the rest of her life'.
Their statement went on: 'She destroyed the lives of girls and young women without conscience. Virginia always said Maxwell was vicious and could often be more cruel than Epstein.'
Virginia killed herself in April, aged 41, three years after winning an out-of-court settlement from Prince Andrew.
In 2001 the Duke posed with Virginia, then 17, and Maxwell in one of the most viewed royal photos ever, which was said to have been taken by Epstein at Maxwell's London home. Virginia's family also attacked Trump after he claimed Epstein 'stole' her from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida when she was 16.
Her dad, Sky Roberts, said: 'It makes us ask if he (Trump) was aware of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's criminal actions.'
Trump made the remarks during an impromptu press conference aboard Air Force One last week, where he claimed Epstein had poached his staff. He named Virginia, who had worked at the resort spa as a locker room attendant as a teenager.
'Everyone knows the people that were taken,' Trump said. 'People were taken out of the spa hired by him. I didn't know that. And then when I heard about it, I told him, 'Listen, we don't want you taking our people'…And he was fine. And then not too long after that, he did it again. And I said, 'Out of here'.'
Prior to their fallout, both the paedophile and Maxwell had been regulars at Trump's Palm Beach club, often photographed alongside him and his then-girlfriend Melania.
Virginia's family said the president's comments raised 'disturbing questions', not least because Trump had once publicly joked that Epstein 'likes women on the younger side… no doubt about it.'
They said: 'We and the public are asking for answers.'
Virginia had long claimed she was recruited into the sex ring in 2000, after Maxwell approached her at Mar-a-Lago. She was just 16 at the time. Virginia would go on to accuse Andrew of having sex with her three times at the behest of Epstein, a claim the Duke of York vehemently denies.
Her family added: 'We would like to clarify that our sister was preyed upon by Maxwell during her time working for Trump. This was in 2000, four years before Trump and Epstein reportedly fell out.'
While it remains unclear whether the three Britons will be named, Epstein's victims have welcomed the expanded scope of the inquiry.
One said: 'There is a groundswell of support that the truth comes out.'
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