Ghislaine Maxwell Details Relationship with Jeffrey Epstein,Cites 9/11 as Romantic turning Point
Maxwell’s recently released testimony to the Department of Justice offers a disturbing glimpse into her decades-long association with the convicted sex offender,portraying a complex dynamic of financial dependence,professional obligation,and a warped sense of romance.
Ghislaine Maxwell, 63, has provided extensive details about her relationship with Jeffrey Epstein in interviews conducted with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, with transcripts and audio recordings released Friday. Maxwell described herself as being captivated by Epstein from their first meeting in 1991.
“In 1991,I met him at his offices on Madison Garden,” Maxwell stated. “And I think the most memorable thing I can think about – that is he was wearing a tie, which he didn’t often do. It had a giant – seemed like a tomato ketchup stain on it. So I was like, wow, okay.”
Maxwell claimed a physical encounter in 1992 led her to believe a romantic relationship would blossom. “I slept with him one time…and I was like, ‘whoa, that’s it. We’re going to be dating,’ as that’s how I thought,” she said. “That’s the world I came from.” However, the relationship did not immediately progress as she anticipated.
For nearly nine months following that encounter, Epstein reportedly focused Maxwell’s efforts on securing accommodations for himself, including a rental property formerly occupied by an Iranian ambassador. During this period, Maxwell lived in a significantly smaller apartment, describing it as “10-foot-by-10-foot,” while viewing Epstein as a crucial figure in her life. “jeffrey felt like my life line at the time,” she explained.
From 1992 to 1996, their relationship evolved, becoming both professionally and romantically intertwined. The pair traveled extensively, including visits to Prince Andrew’s Balmoral Cabin in England. Epstein later purchased Little Saint James Island in 1996, which would become infamous as a site of abuse. While traveling, maxwell and Epstein shared accommodations, but she revealed they refrained from sexual intercourse.
“Epstein told me he had a heart condition,” Maxwell explained, “Which meant that he didn’t have intercourse a lot, which suited me fine, because I actually do have a medical condition which precludes me having a lot of intercourse.” She added that Epstein preferred “other forms of sexual activities.”
Maxwell described a dynamic were she constantly monitored Epstein’s whereabouts, “counting in my head when I would see him.” Despite this focus on Epstein, she was also aware of his other relationships, including his long-term partner Eva Dubin, details revealed through the publication of his flight logs.
Maxwell characterized her role as a “general manager,” overseeing Epstein’s properties as if they were “hotels.” She began on a salary of $25,000 annually, which eventually increased to $250,000, continuing until Epstein’s 2008 guilty plea for soliciting underage sex. This financial arrangement predated her involvement in recruiting and grooming young women for Epstein, a crime for which she was ultimately convicted.
Despite the financial and professional entanglement, Maxwell pinpointed a specific moment – the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks – as the definitive end of any romantic prospects. “I definitely knew that it was over after 9/11, actually, because we were both in New York,” she said.”He wouldn’t come see me at all…And then I knew, as anyone did at that time, if you’re not going to be there for someone on 9/11, you’re never going to be there. So for me,that was the line’s end.”
following the attacks, Maxwell found a new boyfriend and distanced herself romantically from Epstein, though she continued to work for him, describing him as “like family.” Maxwell was recently transferred to a minimum-security prison in Texas following the completion of her DOJ interviews. Her testimony offers a chilling account of a relationship built on manipulation, control, and ultimately, complicity in horrific crimes.
