Ghislaine Maxwell

Born December 25, 1961, in Maisons-Laffitte, France, the youngest of nine children of media baron Robert Maxwell. After her father's mysterious death at sea in November 1991, she relocated to New York City, becoming Jeffrey Epstein's romantic partner and closest operational associate. Pilot Larry Visoski testified at trial that Maxwell was Epstein's "Number 2" -- managing his households, properties, and travel logistics across the New York townhouse, Palm Beach estate, Zorro Ranch, and Little St.

James island. Maxwell was arrested in July 2020, convicted on five counts of sex trafficking and related charges in December 2021, and sentenced in June 2022 to 20 years in federal prison. Her projected release date is 17 July 2037.

The trial established that Maxwell personally recruited and groomed minors for Epstein's abuse from the early 1990s through the mid-2000s, instructed young women on how to perform sexual acts, and participated in abuse herself. On 17 September 2024, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit upheld all five convictions and the 20-year sentence.

On 6 October 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear her appeal, exhausting her standard appellate options. In August 2025, Maxwell was transferred from FCI Tallahassee to the minimum-security Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, Texas, a move that drew criticism over concerns about preferential treatment.

In December 2025, Maxwell filed a pro se habeas corpus petition seeking to vacate her conviction, citing what she described as substantial new evidence. In a February 2026 closed-door congressional deposition, her attorney stated Maxwell was prepared to speak fully and honestly if granted clemency by President Trump. Maxwell appealed publicly for clemency in February 2026.

No clemency has been granted as of March 2026.