Ghislaine Maxwell currently sits in a jail cell. She is woken every 15 minutes during the night by guards who shine torches into her face. She appears tired and hagged as you would expect. The case against her is voluminous and explosive. Almost 1 million pages of evidence have been carefully collated. The question that keeps many members of the global elite, a dubious rollcall that includes including Bill Gates, Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, Alec Baldwin, Ralph Fiennes, Woody Allen, Elon Musk, David Koch, Rupert Murdoch, and members of the Saudi Royal family, is – will Maxwell cut a deal? Will she incriminate the rich and powerful to avoid a lifetime in hellish prison conditions?

The Maxwell accusers uniformly paint a picture of pure psychopathy. They describe their abuser as an evil force that directed Jeffrey Epstein in his trans-global paedophile ring and blackmail operation. She was the brains of the outfit, the chief procurer, and the participant with the most high profile connections. Witness statements damningly detail the calloused and indifferent manner in which Maxwell treated the girls ensnared.
Ghislaine’s father was Robert Maxwell, disgraced British media mogul, Mossad agent, and man of extraordinary reach. Robert Maxwell lived his life behind the curtain in the shadowy world of intelligence circles before his assassination in 1991 while aboard his yacht, ironically named after his favourite daughter.
The Ghislaine Maxwell case has gone very quiet of late, but the wheels of justice are slowly turning. Speculation grows that she will cooperate and implicate some very big names. Bill Gates’ divorce may be a legal gambit to secure some assets should the feds come knocking at his door. There are sleepless nights for the Epstein and Maxwell connected. She is accustomed to a life of luxury and is reportedly faring very badly in prison. Isolated, under constant supervision, the pressure on Maxwell to sign a deal with prosecutors is relentless.
Many observers are surprised Maxwell has survived this long. The upper echelons of the pyramid are ruthless when it comes to eliminating threats to their power structure. Epstein famously broke several bones in his neck while leaning against a looped bedsheet, a medical impossibility, while multiple guards slept and video cameras conveniently malfunctioned and pointed in the wrong direction. Elements within law enforcement are determined Maxwell’s life does not expire in the same fashion, although a recent photo showed her sporting an unexplained black eye.
The Maxwell trial, should it eventuate, will be compulsive viewing. Will the charges be framed to minimise potential and devastating fallout, or will they be comprehensive and truthful? Does the defendant possess the fortitude to serve out 30 years? Or will she point the finger at the large international web and name its key participants. The anticipation is unbearable.
Jackson Byrne