British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, driven by Britain's Prince Andrew leaves the wedding of a former girlfriend of the prince, Aurelia Cecil. Photo / AP
British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, driven by Britain's Prince Andrew leaves the wedding of a former girlfriend of the prince, Aurelia Cecil. Photo / AP
A lawyer representing victims of Jeffrey Epstein say they fear his girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell could be permanently "silenced" as she spends her first nights in jail.
Maxwell was arrested on Thursday in the US and charged with conspiracy to entice minors and transport girls as young as 14, in connection with one of the most high-profile child sex cases of all time.
Lawyer Spencer Kuvin told the Daily Mail there are fears among Epstein's victims that Maxwell "knows too much" and there are people who want to silence her.
"I don't think she is going to get out of jail alive," Kuvin said. "I said the same thing about Jeffrey Epstein and people laughed at me."
British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell arrives at Epsom Racecourse in 1991. Photo / File
"I think she knows way too much information – I just have this gut feeling."
Kuvin also raised questions about the way the prosecution had handled the high-profile case, saying it was "'the opposite of the way you'd prosecute a mob case".
He explained in those kind of cases with powerful underworld figures, prosecutors would usually approach underlings and get them to flip.
He suggested "maybe there are people who are higher up we don't know about".
"By charging Ghislaine with as many counts as they did, the US Attorney's office was probably looking for her to speak and will pressure her into giving more evidence," he said.
Kuvin said when he initially predicted Epstein would die in prison people laughed at him. He said he feels the same about Maxwell.
"It may be that she can't handle the fear of what's going to happen to her and takes matters into her own hands or there will be people who are very afraid of what she has to say," Kuvin said.
Billionaire paedophile Epstein was found dead in his jail cell in August last year. He had been charged with a criminal conspiracy and sex trafficking by the FBI, and was awaiting a trial when he was found dead.
Epstein, a powerful and mysterious financier with friends in royalty, entertainment and politics, was supposed to be on suicide watch at the time of his death, but had been left alone by guards.
British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, driven by Britain's Prince Andrew leaves the wedding of a former girlfriend of the prince, Aurelia Cecil. Photo / AP
Security cameras in his cell had also stopped functioning before his death. His death was ruled a suicide by the New York chief medical examiner, but an independent investigation found his injuries more consistent with a homicide.
Maxwell and Epstein had an international network of high-profile friends and acquaintances – many of whom they've been photographed with – who have laid low since Epstein was initially charged.
Maxwell, 58, was arrested on Thursday and charged with conspiracy to entice minors to travel in order to engage in illegal sex acts, transportation of minors for criminal sexual activity and perjury.
She was arrested at her remote, million-dollar home in the tiny town of Bradford in New Hampshire. Maxwell bought the property in December last year.
Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Audrey Strauss, said Maxwell was allegedly involved in the sexual assault and abuse of minors with Epstein from 1994 to 1997.
"You will recall that the indictment against Jeffrey Epstein charged Epstein with sexual abuse from 2002 through 2005," she said in a press conference on Thursday. "This case against Ghislaine Maxwell is the prequel to the earlier case."
"Starting in 1994 until at least 1997, Maxwell had a personal and professional relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Maxwell was among Epstein's closest associates and helped him exploit girls who were as young as 14 years old."
"Maxwell played a critical role in helping Epstein to identify, befriend and groom minor victims for abuse," she said, adding that Maxwell also participated in the abuse in some cases.
Maxwell will spend the weekend in the Merrimack County Jail in New Hampshire before being transferred to a federal facility in New York to await trial.
The Merrimack facility houses both women and men.
A superintendent wouldn't comment on the facilities at the prison, saying, "It's a security matter."
