Maxwell has pleaded not guilty to all six charges, including trafficking in minors.
The trial that sits in the dock of Ghislaine Maxwell for child sex trafficking for the late financier Jeffrey Epstein begins this Monday in federal court in Brooklyn, amid great expectation.
The 59-year-old daughter of Robert Maxwell, who was a British press mogul in life, faces a lengthy sentence if the jury finds her guilty of capturing minors for the sexual satisfaction of her former lover and soulmate. Epstein, who committed suicide in jail more than two years ago.
Maxwell was arrested in July 2020 after the death of Epstein, as a result of the decision of the justice to persecute the accomplices of the billionaire manager and friend of celebrities among which is the British Prince Andrew, also splattered by the scandal of child abuse.
Since then, the socialite she is being held in the Brooklyn Metropolitan Jail, where she has repeatedly complained about the unsanitary and inhumane conditions in which she lives.
The complainants, whose names are being kept anonymous, accuse Maxwell of crimes that occurred between 1994 and 2004. Two were 14 and 15 years old at the time they say they were abused.
The indictment notes that Maxwell gained the trust of young women by taking them shopping or to the theater and persuaded them to massage Epstein naked in one of his residences, before having sex with him in exchange for money.
The prosecution assures that Maxwell participated at times in the alleged abuses both in his London home and in Epstein’s homes in Manhattan, Palm Beach and New Mexico.
The billionaire died at age 66 in a Manhattan jail in August 2019 while awaiting trial on allegations of child sex trafficking, in what New York authorities deemed suicide.
The jury of 12 members and six replacements that will decide the future of Maxwell will be officially constituted this Monday with the start of the trial, which is expected to last until mid-January.
Six counts
Maxwell has pleaded not guilty to the six charges against him, including trafficking in minors, and if his guilt is confirmed in all of them, he could be sentenced to 80 years in prison.
Born in France, she has also been doubly accused of perjury, which will be tried in another trial planned towards the end of 2022.
The perjury charges are related to testimony she gave in 2016 in a defamation case brought against her by Virginia Giuffre, an alleged victim and one of Epstein’s main opponents.
Giuffre alleges that Epstein used to lend it to have sex with powerful friends, such as Prince Andrew, whom he has denounced in New York. She alleges that the British royal family member had sex with her more than 20 years ago, when she was 17.
Andrés, the second son of Queen Elizabeth II, has not been criminally charged and has refuted these allegations.
It is known that Maxwell, who was Andrew’s friend for many years, introduced the prince to Epstein.
Giuffre, now 38, is not part of the current indictment against Maxwell.
Agreement
The four plaintiffs, who will appear at trial as minor victims 1, 2, 3 and 4, are expected to accuse Maxwell of operating a network to attract young girls who were taken to other states to provide sexual services to Epstein for their recipients. hundreds of dollars.
This trial follows highly publicized ones, such as that of film producer Harvey Weinstein and singer R. Kelly.
The defense argues that Maxwell is on trial only because Epstein escaped justice.
He announced that he will attack the credibility of the accusers and that he will call psychologist Elizabeth Loftus, an expert on “false memories” to the stand.
During the trials of Weinstein and actor Bill Cosby, Loftus testified that memories distort over time.
The prosecution in turn intends to summon psychologist Lisa Rocchio to testify about the strategies used to prepare children for sexual contact.
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The proceedings against Maxwell follow the convictions of Weinstein and R. Kelly, cases in which the defense also relied on questioning the credibility of the accusers.
“The environment is conducive to cases like this,” he told the AFP former prosecutor Julie Rendelman.
But, he added, “it is always difficult when it comes to allegations that occurred so many years ago.”
Epstein was convicted in Florida in 2008 of paying young people for massages, but he spent just 13 months in jail after a secret agreement with the then state attorney.
Maxwell, who has multiple passports, has been denied bail six times. The judges consider that the risk of her elopement is high.
You are unlikely to testify at trial. (I)
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