Most people will probably agree that The Ghislaine Maxwell trial is the trial of this century (at least until Pfizer and Moderna are finally dragged to court). After the strange death of Jeffrey Epstein early 2019, we've been waiting for this to happen. The prosecutors argue that Epstein and Maxwell were "partners in crime" in sex abuse. The trial is expected to last at least 6 weeks.
The Mann Act charges:
Prosecutors say Ghislaine Maxwell between 1994 and 1997 persuaded an underage girl to travel from Florida to New York with the intention of having her engage in sexual activity with Epstein. In 1996, prosecutors say Maxwell gave an unsolicited massage to another minor girl who flew to Epstein’s New Mexico ranch from out-of-state while the girl was topless.
Maxwell is charged with two counts of violating the Mann Act, which bars transporting individuals across state lines for illegal sexual activity. She also two faces charges of conspiring to violate those two sections of the Mann Act.
The sex trafficking charges:
Prosecutors also say that Ghislaine Maxwell, beginning in 2001, recruited one of the four alleged victims to engage in sex acts with Epstein and provided her with hundreds of dollars in cash after massaging Epstein, knowing she was a minor. Maxwell sent gifts including lingerie from a New York address to the girl’s home in Florida, according to a 2021 indictment.
Those allegations form the basis of charges of one charge of sex trafficking of a minor and one charge of sex trafficking conspiracy. Federal law bars recruiting or transporting anyone under 18 to participate in a "commercial sex act." The trafficking charge does not require the child to be transported across state lines.
Day three of the trial is about to start today (Wednesday). So where are we now?
Larry Visoski, the first witness in Maxwell's sex-trafficking trial, recalled renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman flew to Michigan with Epstein for the Interlochen Center for the Arts summer camp. He said he remembered Prince Andrew, Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, Chris Tucker, Maine Senator George Mitchell, Ohio Senator John Glenn and actor Kevin Spacey on flights.
Visoski served as Epstein's pilot for over 25 years. During his testimony, prosecutors showed the jurors photographs of Epstein's properties. He testified that he had never seen any sexual activity during trips, although the cockpit door was always kept closed during flights on the plane nicknamed the "Lolita Express". He also recalled flying Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who says she was sexually assaulted by Prince Andrew.
Later, Visoski said that Ghislaine Maxwell handled Epstein’s non-business affairs. She ran everything in Epstein’s life, such as managing his properties, that didn’t relate to his business.
Another woman testifying under the pseudonym "Jane" told the court that Maxwell had frequently been in the room with her when she had sexual relations with Epstein while just 14 years old. "Jane" told the court she had met Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell while attending a summer camp in Michigan 1994. Epstein was introduced to her as a wealthy donor who offered scholarships to pupils.
"Did there come a time in your life when you had sexual contact with Jeffrey Epstein?" the prosecutor Alison Moe asked when Jane took the stand. The witness answered in the affirmative.
Moe asked her age at the time. "Fourteen years old," she said.
He had promised to fund her education but instead abused her, prosecutors said. She testified that her father had died one year earlier from cancer and her family was struggling financially at the time. Jane described how she met the couple and was invited into their world, only to be subjected to sexual abuse over a period of years, ruining her self-worth.
In graphic detail, she described her alleged abuse and said that Ghislaine Maxwell, who she said was present for much of it, was "very casual" about the encounters. Jane is the first of four accusers expected to testify at trial. Maxwell has pleaded not guilty to eight charges of sex trafficking and other crimes.
Moe also elicited testimony from Jane in an effort to establish that Maxwell groomed Epstein’s victims, by gaining their trust and gradually ratcheting up inappropriate behavior, to normalize abuse.
Ghislaine Maxwell also faces two charges of perjury that will be tried at a later date:
The prosecutors have accused Maxwell of lying under oath in 2016 during a deposition for a civil lawsuit brought against her by Virginia Giuffre, who says she was abused by Epstein while a minor. Ms Giuffre alleged Maxwell had defamed her by saying Ms Giuffre lied about the abuse.
In the 2016 deposition, Maxwell said she did not recall the presence of sex toys in Epstein’s Palm Beach house and replied "I don’t know what you’re talking about" when asked if Epstein had a scheme to recruit underage girls for sexual massages. Prosecutors characterised her statements as "false material declarations" in violation of a federal statute making it a crime to lie under oath. Her lawyers said in a February 2021 court filing that the questions posed were ambiguous and that Maxwell gave truthful responses.
The trial against the beast Ghislaine Maxwell continues today. If she is convinced she can face decades in prison. Make sure you keep yourself up to date. On Twitter there are some "Maxwell trial trackers", this is a pretty big one: https://twitter.com/TrackerTrial
However, in this situation I would not suggest to use just one source. Verify at multiple locations.
Sources:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59484332
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/11/30/us/ghislaine-maxwell-pilot/index.html
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/crime/ghislaine-maxwell-trial-updates-epstein-victims-b1967396.html
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/nov/30/ghislaine-maxwell-trial-jeffrey-epstein-testimony