The death of Jeffrey Epstein in a New York prison cell last summer robbed his accusers of a chance for justice and shut down the tantalizing possibility that the secrets of a sordid life spent among the rich and powerful might be revealed.
Thursday’s arrest of Ghislaine Maxwell — almost exactly a year after Epstein was arrested — suggests a fuller accounting of his acts might yet come.
The charges paint Maxwell as a central figure in Epstein’s criminal enterprise. She spent years at his side. He described her as his "best friend.” She was his girlfriend for a time, though their relationship truly deepened in the years Maxwell was organizing his affairs, an arrangement that included running his households and piloting his helicopter.