Epstein’s madame, Ghislaine Maxwell, is nowhere to be found, at least as of today, according to a story published in the Daily Beast.
Police are reportedly scrambling to find the 57-year-old British socialite—and accused madam of deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein—as she faces a new lawsuit from one victim who alleges Maxwell gave “organizational support to Epstein’s sex-trafficking ring” and procured “underage girls for Epstein’s sexual pleasure.”
Since Epstein’s apparent jail-cell suicide on Saturday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York said their sex-trafficking and conspiracy probe into the multimillionaire’s orbit is ongoing. (In a July court filing, prosecutors said they were investigating “uncharged individuals” in Epstein’s case.)
Alright, let’s deal with the 800 lb gorilla right off the top. Just because she cannot be found, does not mean she is either A) Dead, or B) in unreasonable fear of succumbing to death in the near future.
Let’s start off with the more reasonable inferences.
For one, she is surely not interested in chatting-up just anyone right now. She cannot be sure who her friends might be, and who might want to see her take the entire fall for impending criminal charges. The smartest thing in such a scenario is to hire the most ass-kicking, frothing at the mouth, tailored to the toe, Manhattan defense attorneys in existence, and let them deal with everyone.
Moreover, she’s likely terrified of being arrested any day now by the FBI. Being an “international woman of mystery” who has bopped around the globe with powerful friends, hiding for a time period in some distant land shouldn’t be that hard, although, the article does mention:
“Maxwell is not gonna be able to hide,” Boies told The Daily Beast. “There’s no place in the civilized world where she can go and not be found. And unlike Epstein, she does not have the massive resources that would be required to carve out a new life in some obscure place where she cannot be extradited from.”
Sure, that is true, and David Boies is 100x the lawyer I will ever be, and he does happen to know the defendant’s financial status probably better than anyone, including the FBI, Boies is richer.
But that doesn’t mean that she wouldn’t rather hide in the Swiss countryside while her lawyers carve out some deal by which she hands herself over, with a deal already in-tact, and that the hand-over comes after all the negotiations. That way she avoids all that jailtime awaiting some deal between the U.S. Attorney’s office and her lawyers.
To be sure, that would drive the FBI up the damn wall, and any prosecutor worth her bar license will instantly state: “There will be no deal until she gives herself up, and if we find her, we will charge her with obstruction, too, and and and …” And that U.S. Attorney will also be 100x the attorney that I am, which doesn’t mean this isn’t fairly predictable.
Maxwell’s attorney’s response to such a proclamation is to listen politely and then quietly state: “She is prepared to testify to hooking up President “B” from Country “A,” Prince Dumbass of the Kingdom of Asshat,
and …”
This is where it becomes art
“And, should she not get the deal we are seeking, she is prepared to testify that she wanted to get out of this much earlier, but felt compelled to continue due to certain “pressure” coming from Mr. Epstein who controlled her every move. She also believes that it is highly likely that Mr. Epstein felt compelled to continue because elements within the U.S. intelligence community enjoyed the access Epstein permitted them to hold the evidence against foreign adversaries, and should that information flow stop, Mr. Epstein feared arrest.
“Yes, Ms. Prosecutor, my client is prepared to testify that the U.S. government facilitated child rape, and who are they to now prosecute her?”
Then a vase crashes to a floor.
Obviously, I am just throwing shit out there, but it isn’t too far from how it works, either. I guess I feel okay in sharing it because, well, I have been there (negotiating for a client, not hiding from arrest). Not at this level, to be sure, but the principles remain the same. She would be expected to hide in such circumstances, while her lawyers attempt to get the FBI’s attention, and patience, with what she might give up, with a few threats of their own tossed in.
After all, the non-prosecution agreement supposedly covered co-conspirators. A U.S. cabinet secretary has already been on record as a U.S. attorney stating that Epstein “belonged to the intelligence community …” why would an attorney not mention those uncomfortable facts? Even if it is all bullshit? There must be a reason for the non-prosecution agreement, and that reason, even if it is pure corruption, will embarrass the U.S. government.
It is a little frightening, that a woman who engineered the abuse of so many girls, might get a fantastic deal out of this, maybe only a year or two in prison. But, if people want to see real justice, if they want to see the abusers, the men who actually did exploit these children, face punishment, someone needs to testify to them being there, and it won’t be the powerful man.
Of course, all the documentation helps. If President “X” has an appointment for a “massage” at 11:00 a.m., that’s pretty damning evidence. It is damning evidence right up until Maxwell’s attorneys state “except she noted that sometimes she used code names for people who had names too hard to remember, we cannot be sure this is one of those times.” Now that is patently ridiculous … right up until a $900/hour defense attorney lays into that in front of a jury, that of course “President X” didn’t abuse young girls! This is all a charade to get her off, they DID use code names and and …” On and on.
No, with the exception of possibly video – and even video can be doctored, or at least that is what a jury will hear – with the possible exception of video, someone is going to have to testify as to who was where, doing what. That person can only be Maxwell. She has tremendous leverage.
So, she is probably making a risky move, hoping to avoid an extra year in jail while being leaned on by the FBI, to live in luxury wherever, and have her lawyers set up a deal whereby she gives herself up. She risks that the authorities, the FBI, Interpol, whomever, arrests her prior to a deal, where suddenly the coin turns, because now they have the “separate charge” of possibly obstructing justice or some other new charge complicating that deal. High stakes.
Yes, it is also plausible that she fears for her safety. Would you not? The irony, or tragedy, to her situation is that the better the deal becomes for her, the more dangerous the deal becomes to her privately. The more motivation she has to come entirely clean – and that would involve giving up the biggest names, the worst characters – the more some might wonder: “Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest.”
That is not conspiracy theory. It IS speculation, but it is speculation based upon this nation’s long history of critical witnesses meeting untimely deaths. In fact, the FBI has an entire industry called the Witness Protection Program, whereby people at risk to being killed by “powerful people” vanish into thin air, hopefully forever. It happens.
There is no conceivable way she is at that place yet. And in all likelihood Maxwell will be arrested in London or Paris, where she will state she feared for her life and then negotiations will really heat up when she gets to the United States.
For now, she is nowhere to be found.
That is a little odd, but it becomes more understandable when one engages in some responsible extrapolation, based upon what we know today. This article is speculation. I have no inside information whatsoever. I am setting out the framework as to how the U.S. justice system works, and making inferences from there. They are only that. Make of it what you will.
****
Peace, y’all.
Jason
She is trying to put off the inevitable, she is next.
Maybe someone should put a ‘tail’ on Robert Kraft.
For indictment.
She’s in a helluva spot. Are there people who would help her disappear/hide? Sure. Anyone she could implicate in sex crimes or even embarrass (guilt by association) would be willing to do so. However she has good reason not to trust the former, and regarding the latter I don’t see them taking on the risk. Bad enough if some family embarrassment to some very proper family is revealed but such people know it would be far worse to get caught having helped her so there are likely limits on how much/for how long such people might help her. She therefore might trust them a little bit at least but any hint from them they would want her to move on, especially if they were to hint they were (even) discreetly exploring options and she’d have to wonder if the wrong ears might hear of it which leads back to the first group.
All her years of living in the spotlight and circulating amongst the “beautiful people” are haunting her now. It will be damned tough for her to hide in/on any one remote estate for any length of time. There are after all regular folks that staff such places and her face is plastered all over the news. Each time she moves to avoid being found creates its own set of risks of being found btw.
The one option that might work for her is one there is serious doubt she could pull off. It would mean somehow getting to some out of the way, cut off place and living a very different life than she ever has. A clean but cheap apartment, wearing K-mart level clothes and shopping for bargain priced food and cooking herself, cleaning up her own place etc. IOW live the life of someone like say me getting by on disability. Not living in misery, but getting by. That’s what she’d have to pull off. And in some remote place cut off from most of the world, where locals pay little if any attention to the news or anything that happens outside their tiny village. She would have to blend in and live like a not quite but damned close to poor common person. Could she pull that off? At least for more than a month or two? I rather doubt it. Given her education and polish including speech she’d have to work awfully hard not to get noticed and get the locals talking/asking questions about this new person suddenly in their midst. Socializing to ingratiate herself quickly into such a place would be a delicate balancing act and small towns the world over are pretty much the same when a new person/family who doesn’t seem to have any reason for moving to such a place appears.
I can see how a lot of very powerful people are leaning on the powers-that-be in various countries to keep their national police agencies from looking too hard. And how if some local cop contacts their version of the feds with a tip that arrangements could quickly be made to convince them to “let it go.” Still, all it takes is ONE person sending a tip to a journalist instead of police and she’s caught. Even in the kind of remote place I talked about at least one family will have a satellite dish and internet. Unless she wants to live in the literal wilds of Africa in a tent drinking water from wells or a river hoping it’s safe, and eating whatever local food can be grown or killed which in the kind of remoteness I’m talking about means not eating very well much of the time. I simply don’t think that’s something she can handle.
What I fear is what you’ve outlined – that she will take (if she hasn’t already) in a country not inclined to extradite her without a LOT of fuss after a LOT of time and having high powered (and priced) attorney’s cutting her a sweetheart deal. As I see it the only thing she has to trade is the intelligence asset thing but just because Acosta said something about such a connection doesn’t make it true. Even if there’s something to it, it would all have been pre-Trump which means it was likely done through cutouts for plausible deniability. Also, with Epstein himself dead that angle loses much of its value. SHE might think she’s got something of a shield on that score, and given the rates they charge her lawyers certainly would be willing to spend countless billable hours arguing it as long as the money keeps flowing. However, if her assets are frozen there will be limits. Also, as I said the intelligence asset angle might not be a viable one. IF Epstein committed suicide (still a question in my mind) it could well be that he knew or had come to realize from talks with his own lawyers that he didn’t have nearly enough evidence to get himself another “get out of jail free card” like he did in FL. IOW he might, might I emphasize have gotten away with bullshitting Acosta on that point but he was going to need hard evidence of being an “asset” to make it work now.
Frankly, I think Maxwell knows she is going to lose the life she was born into and lived. I wouldn’t be surprised if she were to take her own life rather than face what’s coming, or before it is taken from her by someone who wants her silenced forever. As you say, the more she cooperates to reduce her own sentence the more of a threat she is to a lot of people. IF she is apprehended it will be a lot tougher for her to either commit suicide or get murdered in her cell than it was with Epstein.
Is she too old to hide herself inside a sex ring? As long as she shuts up and stays thin, she might be able to pass herself off as a prostitute. It’s an idea. A better one than she’d had taking advantage of poor young girls.
Maxwell may not have large resources of her own, but as Epstein’s right hand and significant other, she has the goods on some of the richest people in the world. Some might help her hide to keep her quiet. Until maybe they went for a more permanent solution.