It’s about time.
Convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein died Aug. 10 in prison awaiting trial on numerous sex trafficking charges involving girls as young as 14 years old. Authorities say he killed himself.
Shortly after his death, reports emerged that Epstein had had help procuring underage girls from socialite Ghislaine Maxwell. But since then, nothing. Just last month, a story headlined “‘SHE’S OUR WALDO, AND WE’RE GONNA FIND HER’: THE HUNT FOR JEFFREY EPSTEIN’S ALLEGED ENABLER GHISLAINE MAXWELL” ran in Vanity Fair.
Finally, authorities are reportedly investigating Maxwell.
The FBI is investigating the British socialite “and several other people linked to” two law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation have told Reuters.
They said a principal focus of the FBI’s investigation is Maxwell, a longtime associate of Epstein, and other “people who facilitated” Epstein’s allegedly illegal behavior.
Maxwell has not been accused of criminal wrongdoing. Her lawyers did not respond to a request for comment.
The FBI also is following up on many leads received from women who contacted a hotline the agency set up at its New York field office in the wake of Epstein’s arrest in July, the sources said.
The probe is reportedly in its early stages.
In another development, the sources said the FBI has no current plans to interview Britain’s Prince Andrew, a longtime friend of Epstein.
The prince has been accused of having sex with at least one of Epstein’s alleged underage “sex slaves,” Virginia Roberts Giuffre. He denies the allegations, but Giuffre last month detailed her allegations in an appearance on “Dateline.”
On the show, she said she had sex with Prince Andrew in 2001 when she was just 17.
The incident occurred in the London townhouse of Maxwell, a former Epstein girlfriend who became his top aide, after the prince gave Giuffre her vodka at a nightclub, she says.
In her first television interview, Giuffre joined five other Epstein accusers, including three who have not come forward before.
Prince Andrew has denied Giuffre’s allegations, but a photo, allegedly taken by Epstein, shows the prince with his arm around the waist of Giuffre, who was 17 at the time.
Giuffre, who is now 35, says she is telling the truth about Prince Andrew. “He was an abuser, he was a participant,” she said on the show.
“The first time in London, I was so young. Ghislaine woke me up in the morning and said, ‘You’re gonna’ meet a prince today.’ I didn’t know at that point that I was going to be trafficked to a prince,” she said.
“We went out to Club Tramp,” she said. “Prince Andrew got me alcohol, it was in the VIP section, I’m pretty sure it was vodka. He was like, ‘let’s dance.’ I was like, ‘OK.’ We leave club Tramp and I hop in the car with Ghislaine and Jeffrey.”
“She says, ‘He’s coming back to the house and I want you to do for him what you do for Epstein.’ I couldn’t believe it,” Giuffre said.
“Although he did not work on the original Epstein investigation, [Dougan] says copies of all the original files were secretly given to him by former Palm Beach County detective Joe Recarey who led the inquiry,” The Daily Mail reported.
Related: The ‘Missing’ Prison Video From Jeffrey Epstein’s Suicide Attempt Has Been Found, Prosecutors Say