Ghislaine MaxwellThe trial has finally begun in New York, 17 months after the British social media site was arrested for allegedly trafficking minors on behalf of ex-boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein.
Maxwell denied recruiting 14-year-olds to the pedophile financier for sexual abuse between 1994 and 2004.
Prosecutors say Maxwell, 59, befriended the girls buy and trips to the cinema, then luring them to give Epstein nude massages at his various residences, during which he would perform sex acts before giving them money .
The daughter of late media mogul Robert Maxwell has been held in a Brooklyn jail awaiting trial and could face life in prison if convicted.
A holder of multiple passports, Maxwell was denied bail six times, with judges considering her a flight risk.
She was complained of being held in ‘unsanitary and inhumane conditions’ while her brother, Ian Maxwell, previously said her sister was being ‘effectively quarantined’ in a large cell 6ft x 9ft has no natural light and is equipped with a concrete toilet and bed. .
Epstein – who has befriended countless celebrities, including Britain’s Prince Andrew – died in prison in 2019 aged 66 while in custody for sex trafficking of a minor in Florida and New York.
Prosecutors then announced they would be hunting down his alleged accomplice, leading to Maxwell’s arrest in July 2020.
The defense argued that Maxwell was tried only because Epstein evaded justice.
Court documents show Maxwell will challenge the charges against her by alleging that the alleged victims may have had ‘false or distorted memories’.
Intent to call psychologist Elizabeth Loftus – an expert on ‘false memories’ – to defend.
Ms. Loftus also testified in the trials of Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby and claimed that memories become distorted over time, especially during interrogation years later.
The full indictment against Maxwell lists six counts, including conspiracy to entice a minor to travel to perform illegal sexual acts, soliciting a minor to travel to perform commit illegal sexual acts and conspire to transport a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sex activity.
Maxwell was also charged with transporting minors with the intent to engage in criminal sex activity, sex trafficking conspiracy and sex trafficking of minors.
Defendant further allegedly lied by concealing Epstein’s involvement in the offenses in a separate civil case. She denies all charges.
It is expected that 12 juries and six surrogates will decide Maxwell’s fate, which will officially sit on Monday.
The opening statements in the trial, which took place at the Thurgood Marshall U.S. courthouse in lower Manhattan, were also due to begin.
The trial, which is being watched around the world, is expected to last for six weeks.
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https://metro.co.uk/2021/11/29/ghislaine-maxwell-sex-trafficking-trial-finally-set-to-begin-in-new-york-15682919/ Ghislaine Maxwell sex trafficking trial finally begins in New York
