More details of Maxwell’s alleged efforts to conceal her whereabouts were divulged Tuesday during the British socialite’s arraignment and bail hearing on sex-trafficking charges.
A New Hampshire real estate agent spoke with an FBI agent Tuesday morning and recalled the purchase of the 156-acre estate in Bradford, prosecutors said.
“The real estate agent told the FBI agent the buyers for the house introduced themselves as Scott and Jen Marshall. Both had British accents,” said Assistant US Attorney Alison Moe about the December transaction. “Scott Marshall told her he was retired from the British military and was currently working on a book. Jen Marshall described herself as a journalist.
“They told the agent they wanted to purchase the property quickly through a wire and they were setting up an LLC,” Moe continued.
Prosecutors say Maxwell, 58, bought the home at 338 East Washington Road through a “carefully anonymized LLC” — with records indicating the sale was for $1.07 million.
The real estate agent soon realized Jen Marshall’s true identity, after seeing a picture of Marshall.
In asking that Maxwell be remanded pending trial, prosecutors said her alias shows that she’s willing to lie in order to avoid being held accountable for her crimes.
She’s charged in a six-count indictment with facilitating girls and young women for Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse in the early 1990s — and participating in some of the abuse herself.
Ghislaine Maxwell pleads not guilty to sex trafficking, abuse charges
Ghislaine Maxwell pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges she helped traffic young women for Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse — as her trial date was set for next year.
Maxwell appeared via video conference for her arraignment on a six-count indictment charging her with recruiting and grooming young women to be molested by Epstein. Prosecutors said she took part in some of the abuse herself.
“How do you wish to plead to the charges?” Manhattan federal Judge Alison Nathan asked.
“Not guilty, your honor,” Maxwell replied in a raspy voice.
The 58-year-old British socialite was arrested July 2 at a sprawling New Hampshire mansion where she’d been hiding.
Her trial date was set for July 12, 2021. It is expected to last three weeks, including jury selection.
Prosecutors said Tuesday the “investigation remains ongoing but at this point, we do not currently anticipate seeking a superseding indictment” with additional charges or naming more defendants.
Authorities urged Nathan to remand Maxwell, calling her an “extreme” flight risk with the means to flee — including more than $20 million in the bank and three passports.
But defense lawyers pushed for bail, claiming Maxwell was hiding from the “intrusive” media — and not authorities — when she dropped out of the public eye after Epstein’s arrest last July.
Nathan will make a ruling on Maxwell’s bail later in the proceeding.
Epstein, Maxwell’s former lover and a convicted pedophile, committed suicide while locked up at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan on sex-trafficking charges.