Ghislaine Maxwell ‘lied’ about victims, prison conditions: prosecutors

Former socialite Ghislaine Maxwell may be working on a deal with the Department of Justice, but prosecutors and victims warn she is not to be trusted.

The imprisoned former madam of Jeffrey Epstein could provide key evidence related to the billionaire pedophile’s crimes after 2005 — the year previous investigations into his perverted conduct ended —but lawmakers are encouraged not to rely on her words alone.

“Does she have information that could potentially help? Yes. Will she be truthful about it? Who knows,” victims’ lawyer Bradley Edwards told MSNBC.

Former federal prosecutor Joyce Vance also cautioned against accepting Maxwell, 63, at face value, writing on X: “Any ‘new’ testimony she offers is inherently unreliable unless backed by evidence.”

Teresa Helm was coerced by Maxwell into traveling to New York to work as an assistant to Epstein, who subsequently sexually assaulted her. She also cautioned against trusting the convict.

“What I guarantee is that her main intention is to be released,” Helm told The Post, adding she is worried Maxwell will attempt to repeat a version of the ‘sweetheart’ plea deal  Epstein made with authorities in 2007 that guaranteed he would not be prosecuted further if he pled guilty to two minor felony counts of engaging in prostitution.

“That concerns me and all the other victims greatly,” Helm said.

Helm, who now works at the National Center on Sexual Exploitation in Washington, DC, testified as a prosecution witness at Maxwell’s trial in 2021. She warned of the madam’s deviousness and abilities of persuasion.

“My time with Ghislaine was so well crafted that not only was I willing to travel across the country, but I was excited to meet Jeffrey. If Ghislaine hadn’t orchestrated it the way she did, I never would have gone,” she added.

Federal prosecutors also assailed Maxwell for refusing to tell the truth during her trial in New York.

“The defendant has shown no acceptance of responsibility, and her submission fails to even mention, much less accept responsibility for, the harm she has caused her victims,” read the sentencing memorandum.

“In short, the defendant has lied repeatedly about her crimes, exhibited an utter failure to accept responsibility, and demonstrated repeated disrespect for the law and the Court.”

Prosecutors said that she refused to provide information about the circumstances of her marriage to tech executive Scott Borgerson when she was interviewed by a probation officer before her sentencing.

She also said at the time she had “almost no assets — a sharp contrast from the defendant’s earlier representations to the Court… that she had approximately $22 million in assets,” per the memo.

Furthermore, Maxwell was set to stand trial separately on charges of perjury for lying in a 2016 deposition, although those charges were dropped after she was convicted on the more serious charges.

They also said that Maxwell lied during her confinement at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn between 2020 and 2022.

“The defendant lies when it suits her,” says the sentencing document. “It apparently suits her to spread horror stories about her experiences in jail to the press in an attempt to garner public sympathy.”

Maxwell said she was “tortured and abused” in “inhumane” conditions at the jail. However, according to prosecutors, Maxwell, unlike most other prisoners, had the use of a room with a desktop computer with access to a television and telephone. She also had several hours a day to meet with her lawyers.

Maxwell has complained about similar conditions at FCI Tallahassee, where she is currently being held.

Maxwell was found guilty of helping Epstein to recruit and sexually abuse dozens of young women and girls. Epstein died in federal custody while awaiting his trial in 2019.

Spencer Kuvin, a Florida lawyer who represented some of the girls who first accused Epstein of sexual assault in the early aughts, including a never identified “Victim #1”, who was 14 years old at the time, said he doesn’t understand why Maxwell has remained silent so long.

“I was shocked that she didn’t trade information with the feds in order to get a better deal,” said Kuvin, adding that Maxwell lied to all the girls she recruited, telling them they would be safe.

The Department of Justice could reduce Maxwell’s sentence if she gives testimony which helps in other prosecutions, for example if her interviews helped to prosecute Epstein co-conspirators guilty of sexual or financial crimes.

However, any deal reached could be tied to her truthfulness, with Rep. Tim Burchett, (R-Tenn.) saying: “The one thing we’ve got holding over her head is that if we find out she lies, she goes back to her original sentence,” earlier today, according to a video posted on X.