Ghislaine Maxwell under investigation for ‘sex trafficking’ in U.S. Virgin Islands

Authorities in the US Virgin Islands have launched their own probe into Ghislaine Maxwell’s alleged involvement in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking ring.  

The Caribbean island territory’s Department of Justice announced its investigation into Epstein’s alleged madam in a court filing on Friday which seeks to intervene in a lawsuit she filed against the financier’s estate.  

Maxwell, who is already facing six charges in New York, sued Epstein’s estate through a court in the Virgin Islands earlier this year to obtain reimbursement for legal fees she was incurring from suits brought by his alleged victims, claiming that Epstein had repeatedly promised to support her financially.  

Prosecutors in the Virgin Islands are now using the case to subpoena Maxwell as part of its investigation into her ‘participation in Epstein’s criminal sex trafficking and sexual abuse conduct’.

The July 10 filing claims that Maxwell has managed to evade the government’s subpoena process since March.  

Epstein – who died in jail last year while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges – was a resident of the Virgin Islands for more than 20 years. The Caribbean territory’s government is seeking to claim the two islands he owned there – Little St James (pictured) and Great St James

‘The government’s need to intervene is further fueled by Maxwell’s inappropriate use of the Virgin Islands courts to seek payment and reimbursement from the Epstein criminal enterprise, while she circumvents the service of process of government subpoenas related to her involvement in that criminal enterprise,’ the filing obtained by Bloomberg News states. 

The territory’s Department of Justice is also seeking to claim two islands – Little St James and Great St James – which Epstein owned during the 20 years he spent as a resident of the Virgin Islands.  

Attorneys representing Maxwell in the Virgin Islands and in her criminal case in New York did not immediately return DailyMail.com’s request for comment. 

DailyMail.com has also reached out to the attorney general’s office in the Virgin Islands for additional details on the scope of the Maxwell probe.  

Maxwell  (pictured in 2013) was arrested on a slew of federal sex trafficking charges from the Southern District of New York on July 2. The British socialite has maintained her innocence and called the allegations against her ‘absolute rubbish’

Maxwell was arrested on a slew of federal sex trafficking charges from the Southern District of New York on July 2 in Bradford, New Hampshire, and is now being held at Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. 

The 58-year-old British socialite is accused of enticing underage girls to travel for sex, actually having sex with them and Epstein and later lying about it under oath in depositions when she was being sued by Virginia Giuffre Roberts, one of Epstein’s accusers who says she had sex with Prince Andrew when she was 17. 

Maxwell, who has maintained her innocence in Epstein’s crimes and called the allegations against her ‘absolute rubbish’, is expected to enter a plea in court on Tuesday. 

Her lawyers have requested that she be released on $5million bail while awaiting trial. 

Prosecutors have argued that she should remain in jail as she poses a flight risk due to her international network of friends and access to unlimited resources.  

Several Epstein victims have described Maxwell as his chief enabler, recruiting and grooming young girls for abuse.  

In the weeks following her arrest, reports have surfaced that she could be in possession of a cache of videos showing other powerful people – including two top US politicians – having sex with minors. 

It remains unclear whether Maxwell intends to cooperate with prosecutors, potentially dragging more of Epstein’s associates into the fray.