Jeffrey Epstein isn’t the first “investment banker” to make money by procuring sex for clients, but he industrialized it with help from his highborn British consort, Ghislaine Maxwell.
She came by crime “honestly”: Her father was the notorious and successful late Robert Maxwell, a Czech refugee who made his first fortune after World War II, selling secrets to the British about the KGB and vice versa. He parlayed that into becoming a publishing tycoon, co-opting politicians and the powerful alike, and expanded his rolodex from spies to financiers, scoundrels, billionaires, Royals, sleazy Soviet leaders, and the Mossad.
Maxwell invented the template that Epstein and his daughter expanded, and both men died mysteriously as the law closed in on their criminal schemes. Ghislaine now languishes in an American jail, convicted of child sex trafficking, and knows all the secrets about Epstein’s career and more.
Epstein files: Lord Mandelson, in his underpants, in a hotel room with a young victim whose face is blacked out. Telegraph
The Epstein case is salacious and one of the biggest scandals in American and British history, as well as a geopolitical issue. The two were a team: Jeffrey was the “maestro,” a convicted pedophile, and Ghislaine, the daughter of a fallen tycoon, was the “madam.” He procured the men, and she procured the female victims. They were incredibly successful and knew no bounds, networking tirelessly and globally. He marketed by dropping names shamelessly, including Vladimir Putin’s, whom he pretended to know, to attract interest in his gentleman’s “fraternity.” The scheme grew exponentially as rich, famous, and powerful men joined their circle, bolstered mostly by promises of access to the world’s bigshots and underpinned with the promise of access to sex with young women.
Epstein staged fancy, celebrity-filled dinners at his Manhattan mansion, Paris apartment, or Caribbean island brothel. The two collected large amounts from the men for services rendered, and events attended – income which was mostly for sexual favors but disguised as fees for “tax or investment” advice. Epstein was also a financial wheeler dealer who profited from transactions that he initiated or completed with his clients and various corporations. He also used members to procure privileges for other members, and sought secret information to profit from or pass along to others for political or social reasons. The result of all his wheeling and dealing was that by 1991, after he was found dead in a jail cell awaiting trial for sex trafficking, his estate totaled $600 million.
The Epstein scandal came to light a few years ago, but has exploded since the US Congress released 3.5 million documents and tens of thousands of photos, all amassed by Epstein. His clients were drawn from all walks of life: Politics, finance, technology, science, and entertainment, and Epstein kept meticulous records of all his interactions and relationships. He memorialized every deal with documents, emails to himself, and photographs. Why would anyone create 3.5 million documents and photographs? These were handy for blackmail and extortion purposes.
The two also recruited an elaborate network of prostitutes and venues for sexual encounters. Women were interviewed, inspected, and then catalogued by height, age, and other measurements. Epstein also sought out “trophy” men, such as Putin, to enhance the prestige of his events. He never connected with Putin, but constantly mentioned “Putin” at least 1,000 times in these emails. Mentions promised access that he didn’t have to enhance his prestige. Interestingly, an FBI report years ago claimed that Epstein “was President Vladimir Putin’s wealth manager” and also Zimbabwe’s longtime ruler, Robert Mugabe’s. Both statements remain unproven but were likely based on rumors that Epstein himself propagated to promote his services.
Even so, the implications of such a possibility are so serious that Poland is launching an investigation into possible links between Epstein and Russian authorities to determine whether the financier worked for Russian intelligence services.
Epstein donning a Mao cap
Naturally, the Kremlin laughed off the idea that he was a Russian intelligence asset when recently asked by the press.
“I’m tempted to make a lot of jokes about that theory, but let’s not waste our time,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Peskov further claimed that the Kremlin had never received a request from Epstein to meet Putin.
But it is certainly plausible. A Ukrainian newspaper scoured the documents and noted that Epstein had, as did Robert Maxwell decades before, ties to members of Russia’s elites, such as oligarch Oleg Deripaska and Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov. Epstein said in his emails that Russians asked him to act as an intermediary for introductions to prominent Americans or for visa advice. However, German newspaper Deutsche Welle (DW) said direct Epstein-Putin contacts were unlikely, but US security officials disclosed that Epstein had ties to Russian organized crime to procure prostitutes from Russia.
Epstein also cultivated relationships with serial womanizers such as former President Bill Clinton, Germany’s Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, and Italy’s skirt-chasing Berlusconi. And the two European leaders developed deep, public friendships with Vladimir Putin even after he invaded Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine for the first time in 2014. Epstein also swept through Britain and Europe – thanks to Ghislaine’s address book – developing relationships with Britain’s Lord Mandelson, Prince Andrew, and members of Norway’s royal family. The Daily Mail commented that the result of all this was that “he created the world’s biggest ‘honey trap’” to blackmail rich and famous men.
As scandals go, this is a whopper, and the ramifications are so widespread that they will be lasting. It infuriates females worldwide and confirms suspicions that a world patriarchy that is misogynistic and predatory runs the world. The “me too” movement toppled Harvey Weinstein and others, but this scandal has ruined the reputations of many more prominent American men as a result of their association with Epstein. These include Microsoft’s Bill Gates, former Harvard President Larry Summers, Steve Bannon, and Woody Allen. An odor also hangs over Elon Musk and President Donald Trump, who was a buddy of Epstein’s, but claims he never partook of his services and kicked him out of the Mar-A-Lago club years ago. Ghislaine Maxwell said Trump was not involved, but whatever she says is unreliable.
In Britain, the scandal has swept up Lord Mandelson (underpants photo above), whose relationship with Epstein and his appointment as Britain’s Ambassador to Washington by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, now threatens the existing Tory government.
Prince Andrew, an Epstein victim who committed suicide, and Ghislaine Maxwell
But some women are involved. Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit apologized for her lengthy and mysterious friendship with Epstein, one of several scandals to hit the Nordic country’s monarchy. Then there’s Sarah Ferguson, ex-wife of disgraced Prince Andrew, who remained pen pals with Epstein to the end, and these new revelations have led to the closure of her humanitarian charity.
And, of course, co-conspirator and Maxwell’s daughter, Ghislaine, remains in jail. Her co-accused committed suicide while awaiting trial in 1991, but she claims Epstein was murdered. She also claimed her father had been murdered. She’s currently locked away for a long time and may never leave prison, but she knows everything and has agreed to testify before Congress in the coming weeks. If she reveals damning evidence against more rich and powerful men, she may spring herself from jail or put herself in danger. Stay tuned.
Reprinted from dianefrancis@substack.com – Diane Francis on America and the World.
The views expressed in this opinion article are the author’s and not necessarily those of Kyiv Post.