Epstein accuser elated following Maxwell’s arrest

One of Jeffrey Epstein's accusers says she cried "happy tears" following the arrest of Epstein's longtime associate British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell last week, Australia's Network Nine reported.

"(This day to me) has been like one of the best days of my life. I have not stopped smiling and crying happy tears. And I'm just, yeah, I'm elated to know that she's where she belongs," accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre said in an interview with the Network's 60 Minutes programme aired on Sunday.

Prosecutors on Sunday asked a judge to schedule a Friday court appearance in New York for Maxwell to face charges she helped him recruit women to sexually abuse.

Among the most sensational accusations was a claim by Giuffre that Maxwell arranged for her to have sex with Britain's Prince Andrew at her London townhouse.

Giuffre bolstered her allegations with a picture of her, Andrew and Maxwell that she said was taken at the time.

Andrew denied her story and Maxwell said in a deposition that Giuffre was "totally lying."

Giuffre told 60 Minutes that Prince Andrew should be "panicking at the moment because Ghislaine doesn't really care about anyone else but Ghislaine."

Maxwell, 58, was arrested Thursday at a $1 million estate on 156 acres that she purchased last December in Bradford, New Hampshire.

She has been detained without bail after agreeing to be moved to New York.

Prosecutors have labeled her an "extreme risk of flight" and said they want her jailed until trial.

In a letter to a judge Sunday, prosecutors said they have communicated with Maxwell's defense lawyer, Christian Everdell, who would like a Friday bail hearing after written arguments are submitted by both sides Thursday and Friday.

She will also be arraigned at the hearing.

She has previously repeatedly denied wrongdoing and called some claims against her "absolute rubbish."

Prosecutors said they expect the U.S. Marshals Service to transport Maxwell to New York early this week.

Maxwell has been indicted on multiple charges, including that she conspired to entice girls as young as 14 to engage in illegal sex acts with Epstein from 1994 through 1997 at Epstein's residences in New York City, Florida, and New Mexico and at Maxwell's residence in London.

Prosecutors say the charges carry a potential penalty of up to 35 years in prison.

Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan jail last August while he awaited trial on federal sex trafficking charges.