Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking and conspiracy charges after weeks of investigation revealed how the financier's network of employees facilitated his alleged sex trafficking and his close ties to high-profile figures in politics, business, and British royalty.
Prosecutors alleged in unsealed court documents that Epstein used an extensive network of employees and close associates to target and recruit underage girls for sexual relationships.
One of Epstein's alleged employees, the British-born socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, 57, has been the subject of allegations for years that she was Epstein's top accomplice, accused of recruiting victims and abusing them alongside the convicted sex offender.
Despite not being named in the most recent indictment of Epstein and denying any wrongdoing, Maxwell has previously been named as Epstein's madam in testimony given to media outlets and in legal documents created in a defamation suit against her.
As a result, the Oxford graduate has come under a sharper spotlight nearly two decades after first appearing alongside New York highfliers like Donald Trump, who was then a real-estate developer.
On Thursday, the FBI arrested Maxwell, NBC New York first reported. Potential charges have yet to be revealed.
Here's how the socialite became infamous.