US charges Ghislaine Maxwell, luring underage girls so that Epstein could sexually abuse them.

Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend and longtime associate of the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, was arrested in New Hampshire, US, on Thursday on charges of luring underage girls so that Epstein could sexually abuse them.

The arrest of the British socialite adds another twist in the mystery of Epstein, whose high-flying lifestyle included private Caribbean islands and powerful connections that his victims say allowed him to abuse minors with impunity.

Maxwell, 58, was arrested in Bradford, New Hampshire.

She is charged with four counts related to procuring and transporting minors for illegal sex acts and two counts of perjury, according to the indictment by federal prosecutors in New York.Epstein was awaiting trial on federal charges of trafficking minors when he was found hanged in an apparent suicide while in a New York City jail in August.

Previously, he pleaded guilty in Florida to state charges of solicitation of prostitution from a minor in a 2008 deal with prosecutors that was widely criticised as too lenient.

The indictment accuses Maxwell of luring the girls by asking them about their lives, schools and families and taking them shopping or to movies.

After Maxwell won the girls' trust, the indictment alleges, she would try to “normalise sexual abuse” by discussing sexual topics or by undressing in front of them or being present when they were undressed.

The indictment alleges that Maxwell was well aware of Epstein's preference for minor girls and that he intended to sexually abuse them.

Epstein's alleged abuse included touching their genitals, placing sex toys on their genitals and having the girls touch Epstein while he masturbated.

Maxwell also encouraged the young girls to massage Epstein, and in some cases, the victims were partially or fully nude during the massages, according to the indictment.