Is Ghislaine Maxwell in danger?
An alleged co-conspirator is in the same prison system that failed to protect her associate Jeffrey Epstein from dying. Ms. Maxwell could be silenced by abuse, suicide, illness, or murder, and her secrets would die with her.
Forget the speculation and conspiracy theories about Jeffrey Epstein, who died by hanging in August
2019 after being jailed for procuring multiple underage girls for sex over the course of many years.
Assume that the New York City medical examiner was correct when he judged the hanging in a Lower Manhattan jail cell a suicide. Assume the guards were telling the truth when they stated that they were too tired and overwhelmed to check in on the disgraced financier as often as perhaps they should have. Believe that the security footage in the hallway was lost by accident and that it made sense not to have a camera in the 66 year-old’s cell.
After all, America’s correctional systems carry a large burden and nobody is perfect.
Consider the basic facts alone — Epstein died and took with him secrets regarding an alleged criminal enterprise that supposedly spanned from Palm Beach, to the Upper East Side of Manhattan, to a private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Epstein allegedly transported minors across state lines for the purpose of sex with himself and perhaps others. He used his vast fortune, the source of which is unclear, to cover his tracks.
Consider that the keeper of the deceased millionaire’s secrets — Ghislaine Maxwell — was deemed suspicious enough to be arrested in New Hampshire and jailed without bail. Prior to her arrest, Maxwell had disappeared without giving U.S. authorities her whereabouts.
The situation is historic — an alleged co-conspirator is in the same prison system that failed to protect her associate Epstein from dying. Ms. Maxwell could be silenced by abuse, suicide, illness, or murder, and her secrets would die with her.
Forget about blame. America’s criminal justice systems have long stated that they are stretched thin by budgets, red tape, and unexpected crises such as
COVID-19.
What matters above all else is that Ghislaine Maxwell be kept secure enough to testify about the crime ring she allegedly facilitated.
The victims deserve justice. Jordan Barkin is a writer published in HuffPost, U.S. News and World Report, and The Hill. Barkin is a former associate editor of Hearst Magazines.