Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend and longtime associate of the late accused sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was arrested by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation in New Hampshire, an agency spokeswoman said on Thursday.
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York said in a news release it would announce charges later in the day against Maxwell “for her role in the sexual exploitation and abuse of multiple minor girls by Jeffrey Epstein.”
Maxwell has kept a low profile since the death of Epstein, a financier who was accused of raping and trafficking underage girls over nearly two decades. Some of Epstein’s alleged victims have said Maxwell lured them into his circle, where they were sexually abused by him and powerful friends.
Maxwell was arrested around 8:30 a.m. ET (1230 GMT) on Thursday in Bradford, New Hampshire, and on charges that remain under seal, said FBI spokeswoman Adrienne Senatore.
Maxwell was due to appear in federal court on Thursday, sources told Reuters.
Maxwell was an ex-girlfriend of Epstein who became a longtime member of his inner circle. In a 2003 Vanity Fair article, Epstein was quoted as saying Maxwell was his “best friend.”
Epstein was awaiting trial on charges of trafficking minors when he died in August in a New York City federal prison.
