Maxwell May Have Run One of Most Powerful Social Media Accounts in History - Went Dark After Her Arrest
Monday marked the sixth day of the trial for Ghislaine Maxwell, the alleged partner of serial sexual abuser Jeffrey Epstein. As the trial wore on, many theories about Maxwell continued to make their way around social media.
As is typically the case with high-profile cases such as Maxwell’s, it can be hard to distinguish between truth and conspiracy. But one Maxwell theory has continued to draw intrigue for over a year now.
According to the U.K.’s Daily Mail, a widespread theory on Reddit said that Maxwell may have run one of the most powerful accounts on the site.
Up until the arrest of Ghislaine Maxwell on July 2, a Reddit user with the handle “u/maxwellhill” had consistently posted on the site for 14 years, the Mail reported. The account regularly posted to popular pages such as “r/worldnews” and covered “everything from Israel to Donald Trump and space.”
After Maxwell’s arrest, the account abruptly stopped posting. The handle “u/maxwellhill” has not posted a single time since the arrest, according to the outlet.
On Reddit, a user can earn karma points through interactions with various accounts. The “u/maxwellhill” account has over 14 million karma points, which the Daily Mail said makes it “one of the top rated on the site.”
In a post on the page “r/conspiracy,” a user known as “u/bgny” laid out the information supporting the theory that Ghislaine Maxwell ran “u/maxwellhill.” He said the connections go far beyond the mysterious timing of the account’s blackout.
For one thing, the user said “u/maxwellhill” claimed in one post to have a December birthday. This lines up with Maxwell’s birthday, which is Dec. 25, 1961, according to the U.K.’s Mirror.
Other haunting posts from “u/maxwellhill” argued for the legalization of child pornography and said many child protection laws are too strict. The user also reportedly discussed the age of consent in different countries.
Despite the apparent fixation of “u/maxwellhill” on child exploitation, “u/bgny” said the account was silent on Epstein. This was especially suspicious given the account’s tendency to cover most major news stories.
In addition, “u/bgny” suggested the handle “u/maxwellhill” could be a combination of Maxwell’s surname and her childhood home. Maxwell grew up in an Oxford, England, mansion called Headington Hill Hall, Tatler reported.
Ahead of Maxwell’s trial, a Twitter account with the name “Maxwell Trial Tracker” shared the theory again.
“Reddit user u/MaxwellHill is 99% likely to be Ghislaine Maxwell,” the Twitter account said. “That user posted nearly every day for 14 years up until Maxwell’s arrest.”
Reddit user u/MaxwellHill is 99% likely to be Ghislaine Maxwell. That user posted nearly every day for 14 years up until Maxwell’s arrest. Here is more evidence. pic.twitter.com/tZqgyqgFrr
— Maxwell Trial Tracker (@TrackerTrial) November 22, 2021
At this point, this theory is not proven and could very well be nothing more than a false conspiracy. With that said, Maxwell had troubling connections to ex-CEO of Reddit Ellen Pao.
According to the New York Post, Pao said Monday that she attended the same party as Maxwell back in 2011. It was a Christmas party put on by venture capital company Kleiner Perkins.
“She was at the Kleiner holiday party in 2011, but I had no desire to meet her much less have a photo taken with her,” Pao wrote. “We knew about her supplying underage girls for sex, but I guess that was fine with the ‘cool’ people who managed the tightly controlled guest list.”
She was at the Kleiner holiday party in 2011, but I had no desire to meet her much less have a photo taken with her. We knew about her supplying underage girls for sex, but I guess that was fine with the “cool” people who managed the tightly controlled guest list
— Ellen K. Pao (@ekp) July 6, 2020
Critics wondered why Pao and other party-goers did not raise issues themselves with Maxwell’s attendance. Pao responded by walking back her claim and saying she “suspected” Maxwell’s crimes because of the media coverage.
To be clear, the press had described her as supplying underage girls for sex, but she had not been charged so I guess it would be more accurate to say we “suspected” v “knew” https://t.co/N4nBWJxqXt
— Ellen K. Pao (@ekp) July 6, 2020
In any case, it’s clear that Maxwell had immense power and influence before her downfall. Whether that came from operating a viral Reddit account or simply rubbing shoulders with elites, it is chilling in the light of her alleged crimes.
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