Town where Ghislaine Maxwell found say it’s perfect hiding spot
‘It’s the perfect place for a fugitive’: Residents of Ghislaine Maxwell’s sleepy New Hampshire town say they don’t know any of their neighbors and believe a lot more people are hiding in the area – as depicted in The Sopranos and Breaking Bad
- Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested at her $1M Bradford, NH estate last Thursday
- Locals have described the tiny, rural town as the perfect hideout for a ‘fugitive’
- The property, dubbed Tuckedaway, sits at the end of an isolated road which is about a 25-minute drive to the supermarket
- Neighbors who live across from the house said they don’t recall ever seeing any residents – only cars coming and going from the property
- New Hampshire has been depicted as a hideout destination for mobsters and fugitives in TV series like Breaking Bad and The Sopranos
By Karen Ruiz For Dailymail.com
Published: 12:53 EDT, 8 July 2020 | Updated: 17:16 EDT, 8 July 2020
Ghislaine Maxwell managed to go undetected by her own neighbors throughout her stay at her New Hampshire hideout, as residents say they can’t recall ever seeing her in the neighborhood that has been described as the perfect hiding place for a ‘fugitive’.
Maxwell, 58, had recently moved into a $1million estate in the tiny town of Bradford, before she was arrested and charged on a slew of sex trafficking offenses related to Jeffrey Epstein last Thursday, federal prosecutors said.
Authorities revealed they had been ‘discreetly keeping tabs’ on her for some time, but have not disclosed how they were able to track her down in the remote town of 1,700 people after she disappeared from the public eye last year.
It’s a question that has been raised among members of the public, as well as town residents, many of whom did not know anyone was staying in the home called ‘Tuckedaway’, until learning about it on the news.
Maxwell was picked up by the FBI and NYPD detectives last Thursday morning at the property in Bradford, New Hampshire, she had bought in December 2019 using a limited liability company called Granite Reality LLC to shield her name
The British socialite, pictured with Epstein in 2005, disappeared from the public eye and had been holed up in New England since the disgraced financier’s arrest last July
Several locals who spoke to the media in the wake of Maxwell’s arrest have described the area as ‘the middle of nowhere’ and as a place where everyone keeps to themselves and stays out of ‘other people’s business.’
The remote neighborhood, particularly East Washington Road, where Maxwell’s home is located behind a metal gate, has little cellphone reception and is a 25-minute drive from the nearest supermarket.
Neighbor Lisa Morris, who lives across the street from the property, told The Boston Globe she hadn’t seen anyone at the house other than a gray-haired ‘skinny’ man whose car got stuck on the snow-covered driveway late last year.
‘I have spent 21 years here and I know about nobody,’ Morris said.
Maxwell is reported to have purchased the four-bed, four-bathroom, 4,500 sq ft house in December when she bought the property for $1.07million in cash, using a limited liability company called Granite Reality.
Realtors called it ‘a stunning custom designed Tudor Frame home’ saying it was ‘an amazing retreat for the nature lover who also wants total privacy.’
The remote town, particularly East Washington Road (pictured), where Maxwell’s home is located, is completely isolated from neighbors and local businesses
Residents described the area as the ‘middle of nowhere’ and the perfect hiding spot for a fugitive
Maxwell was arrested at the luxurious mountain top home — dubbed Tuckedaway — outside tiny Bradford, New Hampshire
‘If you were a fugitive, even if you didn’t have any cash, this would be the place to come,’ another local, Larry Sliger told the Globe.
‘As long as you hid when the people came to plow, nobody would even know you were there.’
News of Maxwell’s arrest sent shockwaves across the community, sparking questions as to whether anyone may have unknowingly come across Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged ‘madam’ at the local supermarket or other businesses in the area.
‘I could have seen her at the Market Basket and I wouldn’t have known,’ resident Vic Morris said.
Morris said he never saw ‘anything weird’ at the house and only recalled occasionally seeing cars come and go.
The Globe points out New Hampshire’s reputation for being a hideout destination in television series, including Breaking Bad, where the main character Walter White goes into hiding in a remote New Hampshire cabin while on the run.
In the Sopranos, Vito Spatafore goes into hiding at a bed-and-breakfast in the fictional town of Dartford.
Local business owner Jessica Michie said it was likely others could be hiding out in the area where it’s easy to stay under the radar.
‘How many other people are here?’ she said. ‘I bet you there’s a lot of people up here.’
New Hampshire has been depicted as a hideout destination for fugitives in television series like Breaking Bad, where main character Walter White goes into hiding in a remote cabin (pictured) while on the run
The four-bed, four-bath home is set on nearly 4,500 sq. ft. of land, as seen in this aerial view
Last week, a neighbor told DailyMail.com he saw two small planes buzzing the area around 6am Thursday but he had left for work before the FBI arrived.
A man with a British accent came from a second building and asked DailyMail.com to leave, claiming we were trespassing. He described himself as the estate manager.
Realtors called it ‘a stunning custom designed Tudor Frame home’ saying it was ‘an amazing retreat for the nature lover who also wants total privacy.
‘From every room there are views or the Sunapee foothills to the west,’ the realtor gushed.
‘From the covered front porch to ceiling fieldstone fireplace, cathedral ceiling, and a spectacular chandelier, a wall of glass frames a stunning southwestern view beyond the stone patio.’
The house also includes ‘a cozy den, large dining area, wonderful laundry room and mudroom, partially finished basement, guest room suite and loft office guest room.’
Federal prosecutors said that Maxwell had been hiding in New England since last July, when Epstein was arrested.
She changed her phone number to one registered under ‘G Max,’ changed her email address, moved at least twice and when she ordered delivery packages had them delivered to a different name, which they did not specify.
In a court document arguing that she should be refused bail, prosecutors said that she had at least 15 bank accounts which she owned or was associated with in the last four years.
In the wake of her arrest, residents have questioned whether they may have unknowingly crossed paths with Maxwell at the local supermarket, Market Basket (pictured)
The sleepy town of just 1,700 people has been described as an area where most people keep to themselves and ‘mind their own business’
At times their maximum total balance had been as high as $20million, they said, and said that her finances were ‘opaque and indeterminate.’
It said that she had declared a foreign bank account in 2019 with a balance of more than $1million, and that she has French and British passports as well as an American one, having become a U.S. citizen in 2002.
The document also revealed that between 2007 and 2011 – which includes the time he was behind bars – Epstein transferred more than $20million into Maxwell’s accounts, which were then returned to his accounts, suggesting some sort of scheme to keep the money undisclosed to authorities.
Public records reveal that Granite Reality LLC was set up on November 18 last year and registered to a waterfront office block in Boston.
Its purpose was ‘acquiring, holding for investment, maintaining, preserving, improving, operating, selling, leasing, disposing of and otherwise investing in real and personal property.’
The entity’s sole piece of business to date was the purchase of the luxurious Bradford property on December 13.
Authorities revealed they had been ‘discreetly keeping tabs’ on her for some time but have not revealed how they were able to locate Maxwell months after she disappeared from the public eye
Maxwell is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center, (MDC) in Brooklyn, and is due to make her first appearance in a New York court on sex trafficking charges related to Jeffrey Epstein this week
The only individual listed in public documents as having any involvement in Granite Reality is Jeffrey Roberts, an attorney whose firm, Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP, is based in the same Boston building.
According to the company’s website, Roberts specializes in ‘estate planning for high net worth individuals; acting as counsel to executors, trustees and conservators; advising on tax planning and charitable giving; and negotiating prenuptial agreements.’
Special Agent William Sweeney said at a press conference Thursday that the FBI swooped in the morning after ‘discreetly keeping tabs’ on Maxwell for some time and that she recently moved to the property.
A grand jury recently returned a sealed, six-count indictment against her which accuses her of enticing underage girls to travel for sex, actually having sex with them and Epstein and later lying about it under oath in depositions when she was being sued by Virginia Giuffre Roberts, one of Epstein’s accusers who says she had sex with Prince Andrew when she was 17.
The charges relate to incidents that happened between 1994 and 1997 and involve three unnamed victims, the youngest of whom was 14. The alleged abuse happened at Epstein’s homes in New York, Florida and New Mexico and at Maxwell’s home in London.
The charges against Maxwell are: conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, Enticement of a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, Transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and two counts of perjury.
If convicted, she could face life in prison on the most serious charge – transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity – which carries a minimum 10 year sentence.
