Ghislaine Maxwell will be “naming names” and “fully co-operating” with the FBI after her arrest on sex trafficking charges Thursday, a former associate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein told The Sun. Among the high-profile people implicated in Epstein’s case, Prince Andrew is “very worried” about what Maxwell will reveal, the source added.
Maxwell, a socialite and daughter of late British publishing tycoon Robert Maxwell, was arrested at a New Hampshire home on Thursday and appeared in court later that day via video. She is facing charges of procuring girls as young as 14 for Epstein to sexually abuse and could face a maximum of 35 years behind bars if convicted on all charges.
Videos by PopCulture.com
Epstein’s former employer, Steven Hoffenberg, told The Sun that his former girlfriend and longtime associate “knows everything” and will “totally cooperate” after her arrest. Epstein, who was facing federal charges for the sex trafficking of minors in Florida and New York, died in his jail cell on Aug. 10, 2019, of what was ruled a suicide.
Hoffenberg, who employed Epstein at Towers Financial in the 1980s, said there are “a lot of people very worried” about what Maxwell will tell investigators. “She’s going to cooperate and be very important. Andrew is definitely, definitely concerned,” Hoffenberg said. Thursday, a source close to the Duke of York’s legal team told the Daily Mail that Prince Andrew was “bewildered” by prosecutors’ comments that they would like to interview him about his relationship with Epstein.
“The Duke’s team remains bewildered given that we have twice communicated with the DOJ in the last month and to-date, we have had no response,” they said. Thursday, U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said the investigation into Epstein’s alleged sex trafficking ring is ongoing and that she would “welcome” Prince Andrew coming in to provide a statement. “We would welcome Prince Andrew coming in to talk to us,” she told the Daily Mail. “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.”
In the past, Maxwell has denied allegations she acted as a procurer of teenage girls for Epstein, with a spokesperson telling The Sun in November, “The allegations made against Ghislaine Maxwell are untrue.” They continued that Maxwell “strongly denies allegations of an unsavoury nature, which have appeared in the British press and elsewhere, and reserves her right to seek redress at the repetition of such old defamatory claims.”
