How exactly did Ghislaine Maxwell make her net worth?
A very short answer: Ghislaine Maxwell was an heiress, inheriting most of her net worth. The long answer is a story about the life of a socialite, corruption, and making one’s own way in the world.
Ghislaine Maxwell was born in France, the youngest of nine children, and reportedly her father’s favorite. Her father, Robert Maxwell was a Czech-born British media mogul and MP (Member of Parliament), whose net worth was over $1 billion when he died.
Life of an heiress
Ghislaine Maxwell’s net worth partly comes from her father’s massive fortune. Robert Maxwell was a British media mogul who owned newspapers like The Daily Mirror. Robert Maxwell also owned several other publications before his death, including the New York Daily News, which he purchased in 1991.
In the late 1980s, Ghislaine Maxwell spent a lot of time on a yacht her father christened after her. The Little Ghislaine featured a jacuzzi, gym, and sauna. Maxwell also received a company from her father. However, this company didn’t bolster her net worth as it was a nonprofit.
Oxford education
Ghislaine Maxwell received her education at Oxford. It’s not clear what she received a degree in, but after her education, she began working for her father’s media publications. She began writing for The European, a publication founded by her father.
Most of Ghislaine Maxwell’s time in the 1980s was spent doing charity work rather than growing her own net worth. She re-kindled the Kit-Cat Club at Oxford University as a women’s literary group and directed the Oxford University Football Club while her father owned it.
Moving to New York
Ghislaine Maxwell moved to New York in 1991 when her father acquired the New York Daily News. She was sent there to act as his brand emissary which should have boosted her personal net worth. However, she moved there while her father was facing fraud charges.
It was reported that Ghislaine Maxwell traveled with an envelope to New York. In the envelope, her father directed his staff to hide six figures from investors. At the time, Robbery Maxwell was about to default on a 50-million pound loan from the Bank of England and faced numerous financial troubles that could bring his net worth to zero.
Robert Maxwell died in 1991 while on his yacht. Ghislaine Maxwell stayed in New York and lived off an allowance set by her father’s estate. She was alone without a lot of connections when she met Jeffrey Epstein.
What did Ghislaine Maxwell do with Epstein?
Ghislaine Maxwell was Jeffrey Epstein’s girlfriend and reportedly madam-in-chief in his sex trafficking operation. She introduced Epstein to Prince Andrew, Duke of York, who she was longtime friends with. It’s suspected that she increased her net worth via Epstein’s sex trafficking operation, but it’s unclear how or how much.
When Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested, her net worth was estimated to be $10 million, including the house she purchased in New Hampshire and several foreign bank accounts. The bank accounts were factored into the decision to deny Maxwell bail, as they contributed to her flight risk.
