Who Is Scott Borgerson?
Scott Borgerson is an American entrepreneur and former U.S. Coast Guard officer who became known professionally for his work on Arctic shipping routes and maritime technology. He founded and led CargoMetrics Technologies, a data analytics company focused on global shipping. He had previously been a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Borgerson became publicly known in connection with the Epstein case when reporting identified him as Ghislaine Maxwell’s romantic partner during the period after Jeffrey Epstein’s July 2019 arrest.
Relationship with Maxwell
Borgerson and Maxwell were reported to have been in a relationship for several years before and during the period of Maxwell’s time evading federal investigation. The two were reportedly living together at a property in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts, when Epstein was arrested in 2019.
After Epstein’s arrest and the intense media scrutiny it brought on Maxwell, Borgerson became one of the few people with ongoing personal contact with her. The nature of their relationship during her time evading investigators — whether he knew the full extent of her legal jeopardy, whether he assisted her in any way, and what he knew about her activities — was a subject of federal interest.
Maxwell’s Arrest in New Hampshire
Maxwell was ultimately arrested by the FBI on July 2, 2020, at a property in Bradford, New Hampshire, a state relatively far from Borgerson’s Massachusetts base. She had apparently moved from the Massachusetts property to the New Hampshire property in the period leading up to her arrest, possibly in response to intensifying investigative pressure.
The New Hampshire property was acquired under a shell company. Maxwell was found at the property by federal agents who had tracked her movements. She had made some efforts to obscure her location, including methods described in FBI arrest documents.
Borgerson’s Public Statements
Borgerson initially did not speak publicly about his relationship with Maxwell. After her arrest, he gave a brief statement distancing himself from her and expressing shock at the charges she faced. He denied having any knowledge of her alleged criminal activities.
Some reporting challenged the plausibility of complete ignorance of Maxwell’s situation given the extensive public reporting about her connection to Epstein from 2019 onward. Borgerson was not charged in connection with the Maxwell investigation.
CargoMetrics and Financial Questions
Questions were raised in some reporting about whether Epstein or his associates had any financial connection to CargoMetrics or to Borgerson’s business ventures, given the broader pattern of Epstein’s financial relationships with people in his social circle. No direct documented financial connection between Epstein and Borgerson was established in public reporting or legal proceedings.
Maxwell Trial
Borgerson was not a witness at Maxwell’s December 2021 trial. The focus of the trial was on Maxwell’s conduct in relation to Epstein’s victims during the 1990s and early 2000s, rather than on her activities in the years immediately before her arrest. His name appeared in media coverage of the trial largely in the context of background on Maxwell’s personal life.
Significance
Borgerson’s case illustrates how individuals with no direct connection to Epstein’s original criminal operation became entangled in its aftermath. His relationship with Maxwell during her years of semi-hiding is a chapter in the long tail of the Epstein case that extended well beyond Epstein’s own life.