The British socialite faces six charges of sex trafficking over a 10-year period between 1994 and 2004
Ghislaine Maxwell’s long-awaited sex trafficking trial was due to begin Monday in a Manhattan court.
Maxwell, 59, is accused of recruiting and grooming girls, some of them as young as 14, for the late financier Jeffrey Epstein .
Prosecutors say Maxwell “aided, facilitated and contributed” to Epstein’s abuses . He will also face two separate perjury charges.
Maxwell denies all charges and pleads not guilty. The trial will last six weeks and will focus on his alleged involvement in Epstein’s crimes.
Epstein “took his own life” in a Manhattan jail in August 2019 in the run-up to his own sex trafficking trial. Maxwell was arrested almost a year later in New Hampshire.
Jennifer Louis-Jeune, a defense attorney, has said that the prosecution will want to, “state their case and give a preview of the type of evidence that is going to come and a sneak peek of who the witnesses will be.”
Louis-Jeune added: “The defense tends to hold back a bit more in their opening statement because we don’t know what all the evidence is and we just want the jury to think critically when they listen to each witness, and not take what the witness says. witness as the truth just because he’s on the stand and think about how all the witnesses fit in. “
Maxwell faces six charges related to allegations spanning a 10-year period between 1994 and 2004: conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sexual acts, enticement of a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, conspiracy to transport minors with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activities, transportation of a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activities, sex trafficking conspiracy and sex trafficking of a minor.
Four accusers are listed on the indictment as Minor Victim-1, Minor Victim-2, Minor Victim-3 and Minor Victim-4.
Maxwell also faces perjury charges. Prosecutors say she gave false information under oath when Epstein’s accuser, Virginia Giuffre, sued her.
Giuffre alleges that Epstein and Maxwell forced her to have sex, at age 17, with Prince Andrew. Giuffre sued Maxwell for saying she was a liar. Both Maxwell and Prince Andrew deny the allegations.
In this trial, Maxwell is accused of preparing the Minor Victim-1 between 1994 and 1997 “to perform sexual acts with Epstein through multiple means” seeking “to normalize inappropriate and abusive behavior, among other things, undressing in front of Minor Victim-1 and being present when Minor Victim-1 undressed in front of Epstein ”.
Minor victim 2 allegedly associated with Epstein on his property in New Mexico and had arrived, “at the invitation of Epstein for the purpose of being groomed for and / or subjected to acts of sexual abuse.”
Maxwell allegedly “encouraged underage victim 2 to give Epstein a massage,” and groomed her for Epstein to abuse her.
Maxwell faces 80 years in prison if convicted.