Before Jeffrey Epstein's confidant Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested Thursday, she was hiding out at a 156-acre property in rural New Hampshire that was paid for in cash through a limited liability company, according to federal prosecutors.
The description matches a luxury home purchased last year for $1 million in a deal shrouded in secrecy, according to two people familiar with the transaction.
The home on East Washington Road in Bradford was bought in December through a limited liability company, Granite Reality LLC, set up the previous month, records show. The sale price was $1,070,750.
The previous owner did not know the identity of the buyer, and neither did the previous owner’s agent, according to people familiar with the transaction.
“The buyer was anonymous,” a person familiar with the deal told NBC News.
“It was always this mystery woman,” the person added. “I was like, ‘Is she an actress?’”
The whereabouts of Maxwell, a British socialite who went into hiding after Epstein, the disgraced financier, was charged with sex trafficking last year, had remained a mystery until her Thursday arrest in the tiny rural town of about 1,600 people.
Maxwell was charged with recruiting and grooming underage girls for Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial.
The 4,300-square-foot timber frame house sits on 156 acres of land, at the top of a half-mile driveway, making it an ideal location for someone looking to stay out of view.
“If you’re looking for a place to hide, boy, you can’t find a better one,” a person familiar with the deal said. “It’s a lovely house on a lot of turf and it’s up a driveway that’s a little bit more than half a mile long. Nobody comes up there to bug you or poke or pry.”
The listing for the home described it as “an amazing retreat for the nature lover who also wants total privacy.” Its features include a great room “with floor to ceiling fieldstone fireplace, cathedral ceiling, and a spectacular chandelier,” as well as a “fabulous barn for square dances and hoedowns!” the listing says.
Granite Reality, LLC, was set up by Jeffrey Roberts, a lawyer based in Boston, records show. Roberts did not return a request for comment.
Local residents said the home is one of the nicest in town.
“It’s a beautiful estate, private, with very nice mountain views,” Ann Hallahan, a local realtor who was not involved in the deal, said.
She was among a handful of residents said they never saw Maxwell in town – and had never even heard of her until Thursday’s arrest.
“There are plenty of places like this all around the country that she could have gone to,” Hallahan said.
