FBI agents almost blew the $4.9M covert operation to storm Ghislaine Maxwell’s New Hampshire home
FBI agents almost blew the $4.9million covert operation to storm Ghislaine Maxwell’s New Hampshire home after a neighbor called cops about the sound of planes circling overhead
- Maxwell, 58, was arrested in Bradford, New Hampshire, on Thursday morning
- It has been revealed that FBI agents nearly flubbed the $4.9million operation
- A neighbor reportedly complained about the sound of circling planes overhead
- That same neighbor went over to ask FBI agents what was going on at the time
- Neighbor was reportedly told by agents that the planes were with the New England Aerial map society, which was fictitious
- The man, who is an expert in maps and geology, said he saw through their lie
- He then asked to see the inside of their van and was told to back off; the man then went back home and told his wife, who called the police on the FBI
- Maxwell has been charged with six counts including trafficking minors for sex
- The charges apply to incidents between 1994 and 1997 and involve three victims, the youngest of which was 14 when Maxwell ‘groomed’ her
- She allegedly groomed girls for sex with Epstein and with her in multiple states
- Maxwell has not been seen since last summer when Epstein killed himself in jail
- Maxwell is socialite daughter of disgraced newspaper tycoon Robert Maxwell
- Astonishingly well-connected, she is who introduced Epstein to Prince Andrew
- Andrew has been accused having sex with Virginia Giuffre Roberts in 2000 when Roberts was 17 after a night out in London put together by Maxwell
Published: 20:22 EDT, 5 July 2020 | Updated: 22:48 EDT, 5 July 2020
FBI agents preparing to storm the New Hampshire hideout of Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein and alleged madam, nearly blew the entire $4.9million covert operation after a neighbor complained about planes circling overhead.
Maxwell was taken into custody in Bradford, a small town in New Hampshire, on Thursday morning. Special Agent William Sweeney said at a press conference later that the FBI was ‘discreetly keeping tabs’ on her for some time and that she recently moved to the property.
But as agents prepared to move in on Maxwell, a neighbor approached a convoy of vehicles parked nearby.
One resident of the area told the Mirror: ‘The planes had been buzzing around since 5am. They were a nuisance. We began calling each other to find out what the noise was about. Finally one snapped and drove down to where the vehicles were lined up.
‘He demanded to know who they were and they replied they were from the New England Aerial map society – it was totally fictitious. The problem the FBI had was that the guy is an expert in maps and geology. It’s what he does for a living.’
According to that resident, the upset neighbor demanded that he see inside their van but was told to back off.
FBI agents preparing to storm the New Hampshire hideout of Ghislaine Maxwell (pictured in 2016), the former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein and alleged madam, nearly blew the entire $4.9million covert operation after a neighbor complained about planes circling overhead
As agents prepared to move in on Maxwell, a neighbor approached a convoy of vehicles parked nearby. The neighbor questioned the FBI about the planes and was told that ‘they were from the New England Aerial map society’. Maxwell was arrested at the property above
But according to another local, the neighbor is an expert in maps and geology and didn’t believe a word the agents said. He then asked to see inside their van but was told to back off. He went back home and called police on the FBI. Maxwell was arrested at the home above
The Daily Mail revealed that Maxwell bought the 156-acre property with cash, using an LLC to hide her identity, in December. About 24 agents arrested her on Thursday morning. The home, where Maxwell was arrested, is nicknamed ‘Tuckedaway’
‘He told his wife, and she called the police on the FBI. It was hilarious,’ the other resident told the Mirror.
The Daily Mail last week revealed that Maxwell bought the 156-acre property with cash, using an LLC to hide her identity, in December. About 24 agents arrested her on Thursday morning.
According to the Mirror, she was wearing jogging bottoms and t-shirt when she was arrested.
No other circumstances surrounding her arrest are known.
In a videolink court appearance on Thursday afternoon, her attorneys agreed to have the case moved to the Southern District of New York – where she is being charged.
Prosecutors asked the judge to deny her bail, saying she is a flight risk with an international network of friends and access to unlimited resources.
She has been held for now without bail. It’s unclear where she will be detained before her next court appearance but the judge said she would be ‘temporarily’ placed in custody.
A grand jury returned a sealed, six-count indictment against her on June 29, almost a year after Epstein was charged.
It accuses her of enticing underage girls to travel for sex, actually having sex with them and Epstein and later lying about it under oath in depositions when she was being sued by Virginia Giuffre Roberts, one of Epstein’s accusers who says she had sex with Prince Andrew when she was 17.
A six-count indictment accuses Maxwell (pictured with Epstein in 2005) of enticing underage girls to travel for sex, actually having sex with them and Epstein
Audrey Strauss, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, gestures on Thursday as she speaks during a news conference to announce charges against Maxwell for her alleged role in the sexual exploitation and abuse of multiple minor girls by Epstein
The charges relate to incidents that happened between 1994 and 1997 and involve three unnamed victims, the youngest of whom was 14.
The alleged abuse happened at Epstein’s homes in New York, Florida and New Mexico and at Maxwell’s home in London.
Epstein has been accused of abusing dozens more girls and Maxwell is tangentially associated with the decades of alleged horror because, the accusers say, she was always by his side or making arrangements for him and them.
Maxwell, the British socialite daughter of the late, disgraced newspaper tycoon Robert Maxwell whose impressive international network of friends and acquaintances includes the Clintons, has been a ghost since Epstein was arrested last June on charges of sex trafficking.
She is the one who introduced him to Prince Andrew and set up the 2001 London night out when the royal allegedly had sex with Giuffre.
On Thursday, Acting US Attorney Audrey Strauss said the investigation into Epstein’s decades of abuse is ongoing and that she’d ‘welcome’ Prince Andrew ‘coming in to provide a statement’, prompting speculation that he may among people investigators may focus their attention on next.
‘We would welcome Prince Andrew coming in to talk to us. We would like to have the benefit of his statement. Our doors remain open. We would welcome him coming in and giving us an opportunity to hear his statement,’ she said.
It opens the door to questions of jurisdiction and whether or not US Attorney Strauss may charge for alleged incidents that happened in London and not America.
Among the claims in the indictment is that Maxwell groomed one of the victims in London. At her press conference, Strauss said some of the sexual abuse also happened at Maxwell’s house in London.
The charges against Maxwell are: conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, enticement of a minor 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 two counts of perjury.
Maxwell has not been seen since last August when she was photographed at an In-N-Out Burger in Los Angeles, ten days after Epstein’s suicide
The gate at Maxwell’s property – called TuckedAway – on Thursday after she was arrested
The indictment reads in part: ‘Ghislaine Maxwell facilitated Jeffrey Epstein’s access to minor victims knowing that he had a sexual preference for underage girls and that he intended to engage in sexual activity with those victims’.
When she met Epstein, she had an astonishing network of influential and important friends and acquaintances around the world which many say is what drew him to her.
Among the allegations in the indictment is that Maxwell groomed the girls, including one in London.
‘Victim 1′ met Maxwell when she was 14 in 1994,’ the indictment reads. ‘Maxwell ‘groomed [her] by taking her to the movies and on shopping trips.
‘She also asked her about school, her classes, her family and other aspects of her life.
‘She then sought to normalize inappropriate and abusive conduct by, among other things, undressing in front of her and being present when she undressed in front of Epstein,’ according to the indictment.
The trio then engaged in ‘group massage sex’ on more than one occasion, the indictment claims.
‘Victim 2’ met Ghislaine in 1996 and groomed her at Epstein’s New Mexico ranch.
‘Victim 3’ met Maxwell in London in 1994 and was groomed until 1995 where she had sex with them.
At the press conference Strauss, said: ‘Maxwell enticed minor girls, got them to trust her, then delivered them into the trap that she and Epstein had set for them.
‘She pretended to be a woman they could trust, all the while she was setting them up to be sexually abused by Epstein in some cases, by Maxwell herself.
‘Today after many years, Ghislaine Maxwell finally stands charged for her role in these crimes.’
FBI Special Agent William Sweeney said the bureau had been ‘keeping tabs’ on Maxwell ‘for some time’.
‘We have been discreetly keeping tabs on Maxwell for some time.
‘She slithered away to a gorgeous property in New Hampshire, continuing to live a life of privilege while her victims continue to live with the trauma inflicted on them years earlier.’
Maxwell has not been seen since August 2019 when she was spotted at an In-N-Out Burger, ten days after Epstein’ s suicide.
Reports soon emerged those images may have been ‘faked’ by her lawyer to disguise her whereabouts.
She has made no public comment about the scandal or about Epstein’s death last August and her whereabouts have been largely unknown.
DailyMail.com tracked her down in a small New England town where she was living with tech CEO Scott Borgerson in August 2019 but aside from that, her movements have been a mystery.
Maxwell is who introduced Prince Andrew to Epstein and who facilitated the 2001 night out in London when Andrew allegedly had sex with Virginia Giuffre Roberts, then 17. He denies they ever met. Pictured: The Prince with Roberts as Maxwell stands in the background in 2001
Since Epstein’s arrest and suicide, his victims have demanded that others involved in the abuse be brought to justice. Maxwell (pictured with Epstein in 1995) has always been at the top of their list
Since Epstein’s arrest and suicide, his victims have demanded that others involved in the abuse be brought to justice. Maxwell has always been at the top of their list.
She allegedly approached girls in high schools, at country clubs and even in the street if she thought they would be to Epstein’s liking.
She would tell them that she worked for a wealthy man who would generously help them if they agreed to come to his home and massage him for money, the women say.
Giuffre has shared the most explosive allegations against her.
She claims that Maxwell took part in her first sexual encounter with Epstein and that the three of them regularly had sex.
She also claims that when she tried to break free from Epstein, Maxwell threatened her.
Others have told how Maxwell facilitated their travel and taught them how to please the financier sexually.
When Epstein was arrested in Palm Beach in 2007, she stood by him, writing in a character statement that he’d helped her through the death of her father.
Maxwell lived for years with Epstein and was his frequent travel companion on trips around the world.
Epstein killed himself in a federal detention center in New York last summer while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
He was initially investigated in Florida and pleaded guilty to state charges in 2008 that allowed him to avoid a lengthy prison sentence. He was free a little after a year in prison.
Maxwell has, for years, been accused by many women of recruiting them to give Epstein massages, during which they were pressured into sex. Those accusations, until now, never resulted in criminal charges.
She is facing allegations of conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, enticement of a minor 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 two counts of perjury.
If convicted, she could face life in prison on the most serious charge – transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity – which carries a minimum 10 year sentence.
