Why Ghislaine Maxwell is hoping she is part of Jeffrey Epstein case in Palm Beach County

Editor's note: A Palm Beach Post lawsuit, seeking to make public transcripts of the 2006 Jeffrey Epstein grand jury that indicted him on only one solicitation of prostitution charge, was successful after nearly five years. The documents were made public on Monday, July 1. Barry Krischer, as state attorney at the time, torpedoed his own case, sources said in The Post's 2019 investigation.

Ghislaine Maxwell was mentioned by a few Jeffrey Epstein victims who talked to Palm Beach Police while they investigated allegations of child sex crimes against him in 2005-06, but none was underage when they met her or Epstein, nor did they say Maxwell did anything illegal.

Maxwell, convicted of sex trafficking minors in 2021, was not named a suspect of charges recommended by Palm Beach police to the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office in 2006. But the deal that federal prosecutors worked out with Epstein in 2007 that saved him from decades in prison, known as the non-prosecution agreement (NPA), also gave immunity to any "potential co-conspirators" as well as four named co-conspirators. None of those named included Maxwell.

Epstein went on to plead guilty in 2008 to two prostitution-related felonies and was sentenced to 18 months in the Palm Beach County Jail.

More: Jeffrey Epstein 2006 grand jury documents are public. Read for yourself what happened

Ghislaine Maxwell argues she's shielded from prosecution

Epstein was arrested in 2019 by New York prosecutors. He died in jail within a month of the arrest. The same prosecutors charged Maxwell with sex trafficking in 2020. She was convicted in 2021.

Now Maxwell, who is serving her 20-year prison term in a Tallahassee prison, is arguing in her appeal that she was covered by the non-prosecution agreement, which gave immunity.

More: Jeffrey Epstein survivor who testified against Ghislaine Maxwell dies in West Palm Beach

One witness, Johanna Sjoberg, was 23 when Maxwell approached her on the campus of Palm Beach Atlantic University to work at Epstein’s home answering phones and running errands. Sjoberg said Epstein paid her tuition. Later she gave him massages before she became licensed as a massage therapist, telling Palm Beach Police detective Joseph Recarey that they did turn sexual in nature but were between consenting adults.

Another massage therapist, Christina Venero, told police she met Maxwell and Epstein through a mutual friend. She said she only ever performed professional massages. She told police she figured that she wasn't Epstein's type because of her tattoos and the fact that he and Maxwell had commented on them.

Ghislaine Maxwell: Sex-trafficking trial to have Palm Beach focus even with its New York setting

Maxwell was never accused of being a co-conspirator in the 2006-08 case.

Later, when Maxwell was arrested in 2020 and charged with sex trafficking, two of the four victims who testified against her in 2021 were from Palm Beach County. The victims who spoke in that trial described crimes that occurred earlier than the first investigation — in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Maxwell's attorney in her appeal is arguing that the non-prosecution deal covers her. The judge in her trial had ruled that the NPA applied only to the U.S. Southern District of Florida. She was tried by federal prosecutors in New York.

More: Ghislaine Maxwell moves to upgraded dorm in Tallahassee federal prison, news report says

Maxwell famously was the one who picked up Virginia Roberts Giuffre as a 15-year-old from Mar-a-Lago to give Epstein massages. Giuffre would go on to accuse Epstein of trafficking her, making her sleep with Prince Andrew when she was underage.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, the Palm Beach County Victim Services and Rape Crisis Center can help. Reach their helpline at 561-833-7273, or toll-free at 866-891-7273.

Holly Baltz is the investigations editor at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at hbaltz@pbpost.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Was Ghislaine Maxwell part of Palm Beach County Jeffrey Epstein probe?