LUXE LIFE OF 'MADAM'S MISTER
Ghis’ secret hubby lying low in tony town – with a new gal pal
GHISLAINE Maxwell’s future husband became intoxicated by the limelight the beautiful heiress shined on his life. Now Scott Borgerson, who secretly married Maxwell in 2016, has left her to face the glare of alone — while he jaunts around his exclusive coastal New England town in sports cars, often in the company of an attractive new female friend.
The gal pal, Kris McGinn, is a local writer, mother of two high-schoolers and yoga enthusiast who “has an ass that could crack open a walnut,” according to one local admirer in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass.
Borgerson, 46, Maxwell’s much younger and enigmatic husband, apparently ended his first marriage to be with the British jet setter, captivated by the circles of power she made available to him, friends say.
But as lurid details unfold in a Manhattan courtroom about the international sex ring that Maxwell, 59, allegedly ran with billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, Borgerson remains 200 miles away at the secluded $3.9 million waterfront estate he once shared with the disgraced socialite.
Testimony at Maxwell’s sex-trafficking trial last week included images of her “nude and pregnant” at Epstein’s Palm Beach, Fla., mansion and photos of her, with breasts spilling out of a white tank top, rubbing Epstein’s feet aboard his private jet.
Borgerson “apparently has more important things to do” than appear by her side in court, one Manchester neighbor told The Post.
The tech entrepreneur was seen visiting a local beer and wine shop at 9:45 a.m. on Friday, while Maxwell sat in federal court facing accusations that she gave a then-16-year-old Annie Farmer a nude massage at Epstein’s New Mexico ranch.
‘Kissy kiss’ couple
Manchester-by-the-Sea is an oldmoney enclave of 5,400 people coveted by Boston’s elite for its scenic beaches and 400-year-old Colonial charm. Residents and photographers have seen Borgerson driving through the town with McGinn, 49, in his sleek black Tesla S model or trendy black Mini Cooper.
“He gives her a kissy kiss” every time they’re together, one observer noted. A source says that the two have spent weekends together when McGinn didn’t have to watch her children and that she was “bubbling” about the relationship.
Most of their time appears spent trying to avoid the public eye, often at his isolated oceanfront mansion shielded from view by an expanse of trees. He also keeps a $1.2 million condo in Boston’s chic Beacon Hill, where he has been spotted walking his vizsla through the narrow streets.
McGinn is also a dog owner, observers said, and the two may have bonded over their love of canines.
While Borgerson lives in luxury, McGinn rents a 2,000-square-foot home, humble by Manchester standards, on a quiet dead-end street. Sources say she is in the process of divorcing her husband, Wesley Straub. The couple lived in California before moving to Massachusetts around 2015, records indicate.
McGinn covers and photographs food and cultural trends for the 133year-old local newspaper, The Manchester Cricket. She wrote under the byline Kris McGinn Straub until June 2020, when she dropped her married name. Wesley Straub, a Boston-area native, lists his relationship status as “single” on social media.
“She’s well connected and well liked and popular on the mommy circuit,” a Manchester source said.
But Borgerson “doesn’t seem to have a lot of friends around right now. I haven’t seen him in a month,” the source added.
Reached by The Post last week, Borgerson answered the phone cheerfully, then quietly said “no” and hung up when a reporter began asking questions.
McGinn readily discussed food when the reporter called, admitting her outsider’s disdain for fried clams, a local delicacy. But when asked about her relationship with Borgerson, she said, “I don’t think I’ll be answering any questions on that topic.”
A ‘transformation’
A former Coast Guard officer, Borgerson founded the shipping-data company CargoMetrics after earning a Ph.D. in international relations from the Tufts University Fletcher
School of Law and Diplomacy in Medford, Mass.
He has written scholarly articles for Foreign Affairs and spent time as a fellow on the Council of Foreign Relations, where he was tapped for his expertise on the Arctic. His company was valued at $100 million in 2016, Business Insider reported.
He reportedly left the firm last year as pressure around Maxwell intensified, with allegations that she helped recruit and groom the sex stable of girls Epstein kept for himself and other elites.
Borgerson was apparently a newcomer to world of international power inhabited by Maxwell. He grew up among humble roots in the small blue-collar Mississippi River community of Festus, Mo., Business Insider reported, before shipping off to the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn. He was first seen with Maxwell during a reception in Iceland in 2013.
Borgerson has been painted as a social climber who happily latched on to Maxwell for her powerful connections. Calling him “famous for name dropping,” a source told The Daily Beast that Borgerson bragged at one Manchester cocktail mixer about enjoying lunch with Maxwell and former President Bill Clinton, “just the three of them.”
Both his personal profile and the success of CargoMetrics began to rise soon after he met Maxwell.
“Borgerson’s life underwent a complete and dramatic transformation that opened doors to exclusive events hosted by the likes of Jeff Bezos, added gold-plated names such as Eric Schmidt and Paul Tudor Jones to his startup’s cap table, and even upgraded his $15,000 Volkswagen to a shiny Tesla,” Business Insider reported, adding that Schmidt, the former CEO of Google, helped lead a $10 million round of funding for CargoMetrics in 2017.
Secret nuptials
Yet the couple appeared to hide their marriage, even among friends in their tight-knit Massachusetts community. The romantic nature of their premarriage relationship had also been kept a secret for years.
Even Maxwell’s siblings — who have staunchly defended her and have appeared with her in court this month — only learned of her marriage to Borgerson in 2020 when helping to prepare her $28.5 million bail package.
“It’s the first time we knew they were married, when we heard the world ‘spouse’ mentioned in the bail hearing,” Ian Maxwell told The Post, saying his sister and Borgerson secretly wed in 2016.
Borgerson was married to his first wife, Rebecca Anne Piorunneck, when he reportedly grew infatuated with Maxwell and her international lifestyle.
“Scott left his wife for Ghislaine around five years ago. It’s just egregious what’s happened to Rebecca,” a source told The Sun last month.
“Rebecca and Scott seemed like a really nice couple. But as time went on, he was very preoccupied and would be on his cellphone a lot, presumably on business calls. He was away a lot for work.”
Records show the two married in Florida in 2001 and divorced in Massachusetts in 2015. The couple have two children together who lived at least part time with him and Maxwell at the Manchester estate.
“When the marriage finally crumbled in 2014, divorce records paint a disturbing picture of Borgerson, with accusations of him being physically violent, abusive, ‘extremely controlling’ and having an alcohol problem,” The Daily Mail reported in 2019.
Borgerson “once allegedly threatened her, saying: ‘Don’t make me beat you in front of the children,’ ” the paper reported.
After meeting Maxwell, Business Insider reported, “Borgerson’s first marriage, his longtime business partner, and other baggage of his earlier life were thrown overboard.”