Ghislaine Maxwell was actually Epstein's victim, claims friend: 'He had complete control over her'
Jeffrey Epstein had "complete control" over Ghislaine Maxwell from the moment that the two had met, a friend of the disgraced British socialite and media heiress has revealed.
The friend said, "She’s a kind of a victim of [Epstein]." The friend, who has known Maxwell since the 1990s, called her relationship with Epstein "a tragic story," New York Post reports. The friend continued, "If you ask any psychiatrist, [they will tell you] there are bad marriages where you will do anything for the person you’re with. … I feel like yelling at her." "'Ghislaine, for God’s sake, why? WHY?' It was about money, the glamor, and the lifestyle," the source added. The friend also said that Ghislaine was "already a damaged, broken girl" when she had arrived in New York and met with Epstein.
"She came to the United States after the horrific death of her father, whom she adored, her brother went to jail, the mother was freaking out and [the British government] had just took the big house she grew up in away," the friend shared, adding, "She used to sit and cry on her sofa and say, ‘They even took the silver spoons'." It is during this low point in her life that she met with Epstein. "He saw this attractive, broken bird who was very smart, very entertaining and he thought, ‘That’s the woman who could do a lot for me'," the friend revealed. The friend recalled how Epstein had begun to exert a lot of control over her from the very beginning itself which was just like what her father had done to her when she was growing up. The friend shared that Epstein would order Maxwell to fetch him some chicken soup when he was sick and spoke about one specific incident which showed just how much he pulled the strings over her.
"Jeffrey wasn’t feeling well. [We] were having a meeting and he called her and said, ‘You have to get the chicken soup from the deli on Third Avenue for me'," the friend said. Ghislaine had protested and told him, "Jeffrey — but you have all this staff [who can do it],” to which Epstein replied, 'No you have to bring it'." The friend added, "I remember thinking this girl is being brainwashed, controlled. I saw that happening. That power he had on her." The friend also claims that Maxwell was very taken up with Epstein and had become "totally obsessed" during and after their affair. We had earlier shared that the 58-year-old was arrested by the FBI and was charged with helping Epstein with sex trafficking of underage women. It has been reported that Maxwell is all set to appear in court next week in Manhattan.
She is likely facing charges of grooming underage girls between the years 1994 and 1997 via asking about their lives, families, schools and taking them to the movies or shopping, reports The Sun. Maxwell was arrested in Bradford, New Hampshire, and was then seen in a video conference along with her attorney in Manhattan. According to the indictment by federal prosecutors in New York, she has been charged with four counts linked to procuring and luring minors for illegal sex acts and two counts of perjury.