Ghislaine Maxwell could "squeal" on "very well-known names," Epstein accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre says
Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's former girlfriend who is accused of helping him sexually abuse underage girls, could incriminate "very well-known" people, said Virginia Roberts Giuffre, one of Epstein's alleged victims. Giuffre called Maxwell "the mastermind" behind the alleged sex trafficking.
Maxwell is facing criminal charges arising from allegations that she facilitated and participated in some of Epstein's alleged sex crimes. These are the first criminal charges lodged against her, and they come after repeated accusations by alleged victims that extend back more than two decades. She was denied bail this week.
Giuffre says Maxwell, along with Epstein, groomed and abused her and forced her to have sex with Britain's Prince Andrew when she was 17. Prince Andrew says he has no recollection of meeting Giuffre and denies having sex with her.
Giuffre told "CBS This Morning" co-host Gayle King what she thought of Maxwell.
Virginia Roberts Giuffre: She is a monster. She's worse than Epstein. She did things even worse than Epstein did. She was vicious. She was evil. And she's a woman.
Gayle King: Her lawyers have said Ghislaine Maxwell is not a Jeffrey Epstein, that she has been a victim of "media spin."
Giuffre: They're doing their job. ... But, I know that woman. I've known her really well. ... Put it this way: Epstein was Pinocchio, and she was Geppetto. She was the guy controlling Jeffrey.
King: Pulling the strings?
Giuffre: Yup, she was pulling the strings. She had his money, he had her contacts. ... But Ghislaine was much more conniving and smart than Epstein ever was.
Giuffre says she first met Epstein and Maxwell when she was just 16 and alleges she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew on three separate occasions. He has denied that — and says it's possible a picture of him with his arm around Giuffre was "doctored."
Giuffre: Prince Andrew should be panicking. ... He knows he's guilty. ... He needs to be held accountable. We need to show the world that the rich and the mighty can fall too.
King: Do you think that Ghislaine's life is in danger?
Giuffre: Absolutely. ... If she squeals on some of the people that ... she has videos on, they won't be happy with her talking about that.
King: And when you say that she has videos or she has knowledge of videos that exist about people, people like who? People — well-known names?
Giuffre: Very well-known names. You know, the government officials, the politicians … the royalty. Like, you know, they were taping everybody, every moment ... When you walked into the New York mansion to Palm Beach, everything was being filmed.
King: Do you think people knew they were being taped?
Giuffre: No, I do not. Not at all.
Giuffre alleges Maxwell and Epstein were blackmailing the wealthy and powerful. She says Maxwell's arrest marked a major turning point in the fight for justice.
Giuffre: It was surreal. It was momentous. … It's one of those life moments that I'll never forget.
King: Virginia, how did you meet her, and what was her pitch to you?
Giuffre: I'm working at Mar-a-Lago, loving it. I'm working in the spa area. ... I was reading about anatomy and massage, and that's when Ghislaine came up to me and said, "Oh my God, you're reading a book about massage." And you know, long story short, she told me that she knew of a man who was looking for a traveling masseuse. … And if he liked me, then I would get educated and I would become a real massage therapist. So yeah, I mean it was a dream of a lifetime until I got there, and the abuse was immediate.
King: It has been reported that they would prey on young girls who were vulnerable.
Giuffre: She could smell the vulnerability on a person. ... I told them a little bit about my past, and how I'd been abused. So immediately it was like, the Cheshire smile is what I call it. … I asked her, I said, "Why are you having all these ... girls come in and sleep with your boyfriend?" And she was like, "So I don't have to do it all the time." You know, so she made like a joke out of it.
King: Why do you think she did it?
Giuffre: She did it to keep Jeffrey happy, for sure. She did it because she loves the control over people. ... Jeffrey was a sick pedophile. But she was the mastermind.
King: What would justice look like for you when it comes to Ghislaine Maxwell?
Giuffre: I would like to see Ghislaine stay in jail forever. ... I'd like her to apologize for what she's done to me and so many others.
King: When Jeffrey Epstein … took his own life ... many of the victim-slash-survivors felt that they had been robbed. That they did not get their day in court.
Giuffre: It would have been great to look at him in court and say, you know, "You hurt me. You took away my innocence, you took away my youth." … But he took that away from us too. I'm really hoping we get to this with Ghislaine.
King: Does the buck stop with Ghislaine Maxwell, in your opinion?
Giuffre: No, the buck stops when every single monster gets held accountable and our children are safe. Not just my monsters, but all the monsters. And we need everyone's help.
Maxwell pleaded not guilty to the charges against her and denies any wrongdoing. Giuffre's claims are not part of the indictment. Maxwell's attorneys declined to comment on Giuffre's accusations.
