bob maxwell. bob. >> the tabloid king comes to new york, and there at his side was his daughter, ghislaine. >> she was often with him and hosting cocktail parties for him and generally being at his side. >> you know, she should be this kind of glamorous figurehead of the maxwell empire. >> it was reported back then that his hope was that she might marry a kennedy and meld two great dynasties into one. >> maxwell himself is lauded as this great hero. he's kind of come to save new york. >> and so when maxwell buys it, there's this extraordinary atmosphere. people burst into spontaneous dancing in the street. and maxwell's ego is just absolutely kind of -- you know, he was thrilled to bits. >> one of maxwell's curious things was he had this weakness for giving people incredibly over-inflated titles. >> and there was a woman called carolyn hinsey who worked at the new york "daily news." >> and he said, young lady, you will be my communications ambassador. and i was like, no, i won't. no, i won't. no, no, no. but then i called the editor and he said i had to do it because the man had just bought the paper. when he realized "the daily news" didn't have its own kitchen, he moved us to the waldorf for $4,000 a night to a huge suite, where he could have many rooms, we could have an office. he had a kitchen, a dining room. the butler could serve him there. i remember at the waldorf, there was an elevator and you could go up to the roof. but if he didn't like somebody, or they had made him mad, he would send them up in the elevator and then bring the elevator down and trap them on the roof in the sun. then they'd call down like an hour later -- i'm still up here. he would just be laughing that this jerk, this -- you know, other names that he might use -- was stuck on the roof. and he enjoyed that. the first time ghislaine came sniffing around for a job, she wanted to be the fashion editor of the new york "daily news," a newspaper that covered murders and sports. and i don't think she was used to being told no, because when maxwell told her no, she seemed surprised. like, but you just bought the paper. why can't i have this job? because the job doesn't exist and the editor doesn't want you. that's why. >> and so about nine months after he buys the new york "daily news," he decides to go out for a cruise on the "lady ghislaine" all by himself. the crew describes him on this vacation as being in a great mood. >> the bbc documentary "robert maxwell: downfall" shows extraordinary video taken by the crew during that trip. the video would give no clue that anything was wrong. maxwell is out swimming. everything seems fine. >> but then in the morning, they look for him and they cannot find him. it seems that in the night he has gone overboard, and it is a huge story. >> a body has been found in the sea off the canaries. it would appear very much as if it is that of our father. well, i mean, it marked a turning point for all of us. >> one of the most powerful publishers in the world has died, robert maxwell. he disappeared today from his yacht. >> while the official cause of death was a heart attack, a lot of people didn't buy it. >> nobody was sure what happened. some thought it was an accident. others thought suicide. >> ghislaine, however, uniquely in our family, has always thought he was murdered, and she's alone in that. it's her profound conviction that that is what happened. >> the world's press basically flocked to the canary islands in the hope of finding out what had happened. >> it's ghislaine who takes the lead, and she stands on the deck of the boat that bears her name and gives a press conference. >> i want to thank the press for their courtesy and consideration. >> robert maxwell was jewish, and he was a big friend of israel. his funeral took place in jerusalem. and then just a few weeks later, this massive scandal drops. >> it was discovered that he had looted hundreds of millions of dollars from his employees' pension funds. >> what do you say about reports that some of the funds from the "mirror" pension went missing after your father's death? >> no comments on that. >> the total amount missing from the "mirror" pension funds came to 763 million pounds. >> now his sons are trying to unral the we affairs the tycoon left behind. >> two sons, kevin and ian, were actually tried for fraud in money, but they were acquitted and cleared of any wrongdoing. >> unfortunately, our father's business collapsed, and that caused all of my siblings, including ghislaine, an enormous difficulty. >> they had to leave the family house. >> yours, madam, thanks. >> and, you know, maxwell's possessions were auctioned off. humiliation doesn't come much more public than that. >> and 300. 320. at 350. >> it was not a good time to be a maxwell. certainly not in england. >> and life was unbearably cruel, because the man she loved the most in the whole world was dead and he was disgraced. and to bear his name was an extra 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pretty much on her own. she had a few friends. >> were you worried about your sister at this time? >> i mean, ghislaine's pretty resilient as a personality. >> she said, rather presciently as it turned out, you haven't heard the last of the maxwells. >> so, it's about a year after her father's death when a tabloid reporter and photographer apparently spotted her. >> ghislaine is pictured in an airport, but a story that accompanied the photos notes that she was not by herself. >> the newspaper wrote, "it is to this man that 30-year-old ghislaine has turned to ease the heartache of her father's shame. hisname is jeffrey epstein." >> i don't think she could have found a greater facsimile to her father than jeffrey epstein. he came from nothing. he talked his way into position after position. >> what was understood about jeffrey at that time was that he was a former high school math teacher who had some sort of genius equation for solving the markets, and built himself up from, like, nowhere in brooklyn. >> epstein worked his way into a job on wall street at bear stearns, and then somehow he connects with leslie wexner. >> leslie wexner is a billionaire. he's the founder of the limited company. they own victoria's secret. >> he and wexner apparently hit it off, and epstein begins to tell people that he's a money manager for billionaires only. but at the time, the only publicly known client was leslie wexner. >> and what he does for that one client, i don't think anybody really totally knows yet, but he becomes this ultra-rich, mega-rich guy. >> ghislaine has been asked in depositions about how she met jeffrey epstein. >> when did you first meet jeffrey? >> some point in 1991. >> and did jeffrey know your father? >> no. >> how were you introduced to jeffrey? >> some friend introduced us. >> i had no knowledge of their life or life that ghislaine was leading in any great detail. i met him briefly. >> and what were your impressions when you did? >> you can meet some people, you really feel, this is a great guy to have a drink with. i never had that impression. but he was clearly an intelligent man and he had a charisma. >> i actually saw them together for the first time in palm beach. you know, i was surprised. she spoke the queen's english, and jeffrey was quite the opposite. >> he's from brooklyn. he speaks brooklyn. the question is, what drew them together? the theories are his money, her rolodex. >> ghislaine brought a lot to the table as far as contacts. >> this is jeffrey epstein at a party in the upper west side, 1995. on the other end of the room was ghislaine with prince dmitri of yugoslavia. >> you know, my father was an extraordinarily well-connected man, so she had grown up in that world and was, you know, able to move in it very freely. >> nbc unearthed this video from 1992, and it's taken at mar-a-lago. and in the foreground you see donald trump and jeffrey epstein and in the background, there's ghislaine maxwell. >> in 1993, just a year into bill clinton's presidency, ghislaine maxwell is pictured along with epstein and the president at a donor's reception in the white house. >> she got back her old life. the limousines, the helicopters, the private jets. >> this woman who had lost everything because of a man, her father, suddenly had everything because of another man. but at the same time with epstein, what he wanted was women and, in some cases, increasingly younger women according to some of the victims that have come forward in this case. >> it's around that time, starting in 1994, that federal prosecutors now say that maxwell assisted epstein in the sexual exploitation of underage girls. they allege that maxwell helped epstein to recruit, to groom, and ultimately abuse girls as young as 14. > ghislaine was 100% the lady of the house at jeffrey's. he made that very clear. we knew who was in charge, and it was ghislaine. >> maria farmer was a 25-year-old artist working as a receptionist at jeffrey epstein's new york townhouse, which is where she says she got to know ghislaine maxwell. >> i remember one day, ghislaine's asking me about my family, and i said, well, actually, i have the most amazing sister in the world. and i'm telling ghislaine that she's still in high school. she was a junior. then i said, i think she's ready to start looking at colleges soon. and then she had this great idea that i should talk to jeffrey about annie's education. >> what i understood was that maria had a very wealthy boss and that he might want to help me with school. >> seems legitimate. it seems like this is this philanthropic couple that likes to help high-achieving students out. >> annie has alleged that epstein invited her to his ranch in new mexico for what she understood to be a meeting with a group of high-achieving students. >> epstein called my mom to talk a little bit about what would happen while i was there. >> he said there would be about 20 to 25 students. i asked epstein at that point, who's going to be the chaperone? and he said ghislaine. i arrived at the airport, and there was a man with a little sign that had my name on it. it was the first time i'd ever experienced something like that. >> annie gets there. there aren't all of these other kids. there is no school program. it's just jeffrey, ghislaine, and now 16-year-old annie farmer. ♪eh uh, eh uh♪ ♪flow (oh my gosh)♪ ♪where man go (oh my gosh)♪ ♪if a man see me (oh my gosh)♪ ♪i guess you never know what you got 'til it's♪ ♪flow (oh my gosh)♪ ♪where man go (oh my gosh)♪ ♪if a man see me (oh my gosh)♪ ♪i guess you never know what you got 'til it's♪ ♪eh uh, eh uh eh uh, eh uh ♪ieh uh, eh uh eh uh♪my gosh)♪ garnier whole blends has something big yes! it's new sulfate free remedy oh acacia honey and sulfates gone. a remedy to prevent breakage and reduce split ends. 72 hours of tada whole blends by garnier, naturally. i'm really nervous. i don't know what i should wear. just wear something not too crazy, remember 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have an infection or symptoms such as fevers, sweats, chills, muscle aches, or coughs or if you plan to or recently received a vaccine. ♪ nothing is everything. ♪ now is the time to ask your dermatologist about skyrizi. >>> this is a picture i took of annie. i got her ready for prom. so, she's 16 here. >> when i look back at those photos now of myself at the time, i feel like i was a baby. >> and jeffrey was calling. when she was getting ready for prom, he was calling to talk to her. >> annie farmer is one of the underage victims at the center of the criminal case against ghislaine maxwell. maxwell has pleaded not guilty. abc news first spoke to annie farmer in 2019 about her experiences with maxwell and epstein and about what she says happened to her at his ranch in new mexico. >> can you just sort of describe the new mexico property? >> the ranch was not in santa fe. no, it was really in the middle of nowhere. i think it might have actually been a temporary residence that they had while the main property was being developed. >> upon arrival, your expectation was this was some kind of group thing for students, right? >> right. >> so when you get there, it's not. so, what did you think was happening and then what did you see? >> it wasn't an immediate alarm. it was just sort of, okay, i guess, you know, this is somewhat different than what i -- i must have misunderstood. when i first met ghislaine, she was very charming. she was witty and quick and instantly engaging in conversation. i remember i had, you know, brought some homework with me that i needed to work on. and so i think i was actually doing a paper about some british writers, and so i remember, you know, talking to ghislaine about that. i felt quickly comfortable with her, and as a young woman, i looked up to her as maybe an older sister type. we went shopping in santa fe, and she took me to sort of a natural food store. she was encouraging me to pick out things that i might like. you know, so it just felt like girl time together. the first thing that gave me pause was i remember being in this living room area with epstein and maxwell, and maxwell telling me that epstein really liked to get foot rubs and that it would be a good idea for me to learn how to massage his feet. i think if epstein had been suggesting that, i would have been clearly alarmed, but because it was her, i was more open to that. they were really, really good at figuring out how to push boundaries so that i didn't say, no, i'm not going to do this. i just felt uneasy, but did it. the next thing i remember was we went to the movies in a theater in santa fe, and we were kind of waiting around in the mall outside of the theater, and i remember maxwell sort of acting like she was going to, like, pull epstein's pants down. they were doing it with each other. they didn't do that to me. but it was weird. epstein sat himself next to me and very quickly started holding my hand and caressing me and kind of touching my feet and my leg. he did not appear to be hiding it from ghislaine, which was odd to me. >> annie describes in court filings what she says happened next. she says maxwell repeatedly insisted on giving her a massage. >> i went on the table, and i was very aware that the door was open and i could be seen getting a massage. and then, at some point she just takes the sheet down so she, you know, exposed my breasts. and i feel uncomfortable. i feel like epstein can probably see me right now. and she touches me around my chest, but blurring the boundaries of normal or not normal. this was such a scary situation for me. so i just needed to, like, just to manage that and to go on as if everything was normal. >> she is isolated on this ranch in new mexico. she has no way to communicate with anyone. she's alone there with two adults she does not know. she's only 16 years old. >> i was sleeping in a small room. you know, i was in my pajamas under the covers, and epstein just sort of bounded in and said, oh, you know, i'd like to cuddle. of course he wasn't waiting for me to agree to that. he got into bed with me then. like, this was one of those boundary violations that was so clear, but knowing she's there, it makes me confused. if they're partners, that doesn't make sense. >> annie says that epstein physically restrained her and started pressing up against her. and she says she was frozen in fear. >> i do remember getting out of bed and getting into the bathroom and shutting the door. i didn't want to admit what was going on was going on. >> my sister never shared with me anything about what had happened with ghislaine and jeffrey. i didn't understand until much later. they thought it was okay to touch a 16-year-old, the person that i loved more than anyone in the world, and there is nothing okay about that. >> in 2019, annie farmer filed a lawsuit against jeffrey epstein's estate and ghislaine maxwell. she eventually accepted an offer from the epstein victims compensation fund, which required her to drop the lawsuit. >> ghislaine maxwell's lawyers have said in court filings that maxwell denies she was part of any of the activity that annie farmer says took place. >> looking back at this series of events now, it's just so clear how maxwell was a really important part of the grooming process, and they worked together as a team, i think. >> annie farmer is only one of a number of women who will make accusations about ghislaine maxwell, not all of them underage. >> she told me to give jeffrey what he wants because jeffrey always gets what he wants. >> he was behind the curtain, but she was the puppeteer, you know, orchestrating it all. ok, at at&t everyone gets our best deals on all smartphones. let me break it down. you got your new customers — they get our best deals. you got your existing customers — they also get our best deals. everyone. gets. the deals. questions? got it. but, why did you use a permanent marker? because i want to make sure you 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♪ ♪ ♪ >>> by the year 2000, ghislaine maxwell appears to have moved to a $5,000,000 mansion on the upper east side of manhattan. about five blocks south of jeffrey epstein's mansion. >> he was in her life, for sure, but she was living in her place, and he was living in his place. so they were not a couple in that sense. >> i do believe she fell in love with him to the point where she wanted to marry him. and it was epstein who did not want to marry. >> at some point, their relationship became more of a business relationship, where she has admitted in depositions that she managed his far-flung properties. >> i hired assistants, i hired architects, i hired decorators, i hired cooks, i hired cleaners, i hired gardeners. >> ghislaine was asked if she had ever hired massage therapists for jeffrey epstein. >> from time to time, i would visit professional spas. i would receive a massage, and if the massage was good i would ask that man or woman if they did home visits. >> we met at the four seasons hotel in beverly hills. this tall woman, polished, clean-cut, just comes waltzing in and said, hi, my name is ghislaine. nice to meet you. >> chauntae davies was 21 years old, training to be a massage therapist. and she says one day she's asked by her instructor to come join her for a massage appointment. >> i mean, she was friendly and warm. she wanted to know where i was from, what my plans were for my life. so, we finish her session and then she offered to have me fly out for the weekend to work as her masseuse in palm beach. >> i was 22 years old and it was going to be a once in a lifetime opportunity, traveling the world being a personal massage therapist. >> teresa helm, who filed a lawsuit against jeffrey epstein's estate, says that she was also studying to be a masseuse in the early 2000s, and that she was approached with a job offer to work for a wealthy couple. >> i was told ms. maxwell was the one that would be who i'm hired for and you will go meet her in new york city and interview with her. i walked to ms. maxwell's townhouse. i was let in, and i was immediately directed to go up the stairs. she came out and she introduced herself to me. and right away, she was very polite, she was well spoken. and then it was like, okay, let's do the massage now. there was a certain point where she fell asleep, so i'm thinking it's going really well. she then went on to tell me that there was a second part to the interview. you're going to go meet my partner jeffrey. and that was the first time i had heard anything about meeting anyone else. she told me to give jeffrey what he wants because jeffrey always gets what he wants. >> after we landed in palm beach, i just remember ghislaine and i driving in the mercedes with the top down and having this talk on the way to the mansion. she was explaining that her partner was sort of the ralph lauren type. and did i like that type? getting out of the car as we as we pulled into the garage, she turned to me and said, just do whatever he likes and you won't have a problem. >> i walk up to this really elaborate door. it seemed very castle-like to me. so, i was let in, and jeffrey said, come on with me to my office. and we walk into that office room, and then he asked me for a foot massage. and he puts his foot up on my leg, and i start giving him a foot massage. >> i got the massage table out and got it all set up. jeffrey came in. gave me a little once over. i started the massage, and he was asking me questions -- how i liked massage school. he flipped over, and he asked if i minded if he touched himself. and i freeze. i just -- i remember being so confused. i remember not knowing whether or not ghislaine knew. i didn't know what to say. i said sure. >> he starts pushing his foot closer and closer to me, to the point where his foot is literally pressing up against my body. he grabbed my chin in his hand, and he said to me, i know i can always trust a woman who shows her gums when she smiles. i was very scared. and so i get up from the couch and i start, you know, walking towards the door. and he grabbed me from behind. and i just completely froze, and he assaulted me in the hallway. when i made it to the door, he said to me, don't do anything that i wouldn't do. i took that as a direct threat. you know. >> teresa and chaunta'se stories end very differently. teresa says that she never spoke to them again. chauntae says that she continued to occasionally work for and travel with epstein and maxwell. and she says that epstein sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions. >> i had already come from a background in which i had been taught to accept abuse. it just became a situation where i just got deeper and deeper into it, and i didn't know how to pull myself out, really. i mean, now looking back, i definitely feel like, how did i not see that ghislaine was, you know, the puppeteer in it all? >> ghislaine maxwell is a master manipulator. she knew how she was playing me. she knew how she was setting me up. she knew exactly that she was delivering me to the home of a predator. >> teresa and chauntae are not part of the criminal case against ghislaine maxwell. and they didn't file lawsuits against maxwell. so maxwell has never formally responded to their claims. but maxwell has broadly denied any wrongdoing. >> every allegation should be taken seriously, but that doesn't mean every allegation should be believed without questioning, without scrutiny. ghislaine has never admitted to any wrongdoing because she's not done anything wrong. she's been fighting about this now in civil and criminal litigation, saying she's innocent. >> in 2020, teresa helm accepted an offer from epstein's victims compensation fund and agreed to withdraw her lawsuit against jeffrey epstein's estate. >> ghislaine maxwell was able to live with relative anonymity. but all of that is about to change. >>> next, tonight, disturbing allegations. a woman claims that maxwell groomed her to be a sex slave to epstein and was trafficked to some of his most powerful associates. >> she has a photograph in ghislaine maxwel's apartment with prince andrew. >> this is a terrific tale. cruella deville, the daughter of bobeeper of many secrets. >> ask you about all the allegations that have come out, ghisaline? 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