Prosecution links Ghislaine Maxwell to Jeffrey Epstein, while defense says she is being blamed for his actions

Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein created a “pyramid strategy of abuse” by offering currency to mediocre underage girls, luring them into a web of intersexual abuse, prosecutors said Monday successful opening statements of Maxwell’s transgression trial.

Prosecutor Lara Pomerantz told jurors that successful the 1990s, Maxwell would procure girls for Epstein via the “ruse” of a massage. “You’ll larn that the screen of massage was the superior mode the suspect and Epstein lured girls into intersexual abuse.”

The playbook yet changed arsenic they began to springiness $100 bills to mediocre teenage girls from breached homes, promising them wealth and entree to resources, Pomerantz said.

“By the aboriginal 2000s, the suspect and Epstein recovered an easier mode to support a continuous travel of girls to abuse,” Pomerantz said. “Instead, they devised a pyramid strategy of abuse, a strategy that nary longer required the suspect to personally find young girls for Epstein.”

In response, Maxwell’s defence told jurors successful their opening connection their lawsuit was a scapegoat for Epstein’s abuse. Instead, her lawyer portrayed her arsenic a unfortunate of sexism.

“Eve was accused of tempting Adam with the apple. Women person been blamed for the atrocious behaviour of men and women are often villainized and punished much than the men ever are. The charges against Ghislaine Maxwell are for things that Jeffrey Epstein did. But she is not Jeffrey Epstein,” defence lawyer Bobbi Sternheim said.

The opening statements travel connected the archetypal time of Maxwell’s national proceedings connected charges including conspiracy and sex-trafficking. The proceedings is apt to springiness a glimpse into the enigmatic beingness of the precocious Jeffrey Epstein, Maxwell’s adjacent confidante who died successful jailhouse successful 2019 earlier helium was owed to basal trial.

After opening statements, the authorities called its archetypal witness: Epstein’s erstwhile aviator Lawrence “Larry” Visoski.

Maxwell was archetypal charged successful July 2020 with enticement and conspiracy to entice minors to question to prosecute successful amerciable enactment acts, proscription and conspiracy to transport minors with intent to prosecute successful transgression intersexual enactment for allegedly grooming and recruiting underage girls from 1994 done 1997.

Prosecutors aboriginal added two sex-trafficking charges, alleging Maxwell interacted with a 14-year-old miss connected aggregate occasions successful Palm Beach, Florida, and encouraged and enticed her to enlistee different girls to execute “sexualized massages” connected Epstein contempt knowing she was nether 18.

The pilot, who began moving for Epstein successful 1991, testified Maxwell often traveled connected Epstein’s backstage pitchy betwixt 1994 and 2004 and would often facilitate question plans with Visoski for Epstein.

He described his representation of the pair’s narration arsenic much idiosyncratic than business-like, but much “couple-ish” than really romantic. He didn’t retrieve seeing them buss oregon clasp hands, helium said.

Logging the names of each passengers connected Epstein’s backstage flights was not a priority, but they tried their champion to beryllium accurate, Visoski said. For planetary flights, helium had to study an close rider log, helium said.

Visoski often flew Epstein betwixt New York, Paris, St. Thomas, New Mexico and Florida, and would often spell to Epstein’s properties astatine those locations, for example, to facilitate luggage for Epstein and his guests, the aviator testified.

Visoski volition proceed testifying Tuesday morning.

Maxwell has denied immoderate wrongdoing, telling the tribunal astatine a caller hearing, “I person not committed immoderate crimes.” She faces up to 70 years successful prison if convicted connected each six counts. The proceedings is expected to past astir six weeks.

The British socialite was arrested astir 1 twelvemonth aft Epstein was arrested connected charges successful transportation to allegations helium ran a sex-trafficking endeavor astatine his homes successful Manhattan and Palm Beach from 2002 to 2005. That indictment alleged Epstein worked with employees and associates to lure the girls to his residences and paid immoderate of his victims to enlistee different girls for him to abuse.

Epstein was recovered dormant successful his prison cell soon aft his apprehension successful 2019. The aesculapian examiner aboriginal determined the cause of death to beryllium termination by hanging.

He was a convicted registered enactment offender aft helium pleaded blameworthy to 2 authorities prostitution charges successful 2008.

Maxwell, a erstwhile precise nationalist socialite known for jet-setting with Epstein and different high-profile figures including Prince Andrew and erstwhile Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, seemingly fell disconnected the grid aft Epstein was arrested arsenic helium disembarked a formation from Paris successful July 2019.

Prosecutors preview their lawsuit successful opening statements

Pomerantz began her opening statements by describing Maxwell arsenic the woman of the house, moving Epstein’s homes for implicit a decennary and sharing successful his luxurious lifestyle, each portion aiding and abetting his maltreatment of insignificant girls.

Maxwell ran a choky vessel to make a civilization of soundlessness for Epstein, the authoritative said.

“Employees were to spot nothing, perceive nothing, accidental nothing. There was a civilization of silence. That was by plan — the defendant’s plan — due to the fact that down closed doors, the suspect and Epstein were committing heinous crimes. They were sexually abusing teenage girls,” she said.

The authoritative said Maxwell had a hands-on relation successful the abuse.

“She manipulated the girls, groomed them for abuse, helped the girls consciousness comfy arsenic friendliness escalated to abuse,” Pomerantz said. “Sometimes she was adjacent successful the country for the massages herself, and sometimes she touched the girls’ bodies and adjacent erstwhile she was not successful the room, marque nary mistake, she knew precisely what Epstein was going to bash to those children erstwhile she sent them to him wrong the massage rooms; massage rooms wrong the houses the suspect ran for implicit a decade.”

Jurors volition perceive from alleged victims, their household members, erstwhile members of Epstein’s staff, including pilots and employees who worked successful the Palm Beach residence, arsenic good arsenic instrumentality enforcement agents who conducted the 2005 hunt of Epstein’s Palm Beach residence and his Manhattan mansion successful 2019, the authoritative said.

In addition, prosecutors program to amusement the assemblage formation logs for Epstein’s backstage planes, FedEx records for a acquisition Epstein sent to 1 miss erstwhile she was conscionable 15, and explicit photos from wrong Epstein’s homes.

The authoritative besides told jurors they would perceive astir the Epstein Victim Compensation Program, which awarded wealth to immoderate of the girls successful the lawsuit who accused Maxwell and Epstein of abuse.

“You’ll besides perceive that a money to compensate girls who Epstein abused awarded immoderate of these witnesses millions of dollars. But it volition beryllium evident to you astatine this proceedings that these witnesses would person paid thing for this not to person happened to them. They would wage thing to person ne'er met the suspect and Epstein,” Pomerantz said.

Maxwell focused her attraction connected the assemblage during the prosecutor’s opening statement, but astatine times she stared disconnected successful the absorption of the judge.

When prosecutors spoke of 1 witness, utilizing the pseudonym Jane, Maxwell took notes.

Defense attacks alleged victims

Bobbi Sternheim laid retired the defense’s strategy successful opening statements: Attack and undermine the 4 women acceptable to attest astir their interactions with Maxwell and Epstein.

Sternheim told jurors the proceedings is astir memory, manipulation and money. Victims person manipulated their memories of alleged maltreatment by Epstein to see Maxwell due to the fact that they’ve been financially incentivized to instrumentality Maxwell down successful the aftermath of his death, she said.

She acknowledged Epstein’s abusive behaviour and his known schemes to immoderate extent, but maintained Maxwell was roped into prosecution efforts lone aft his decease due to the fact that of their agelong relationship.

“She is simply a scapegoat for a antheral who behaved badly,” Sternheim said. “She is simply a target, a bull’s oculus of choler for women who were oregon different judge they were victimized by Epstein. Epstein’s decease near a gaping spread successful the pursuit of justness for galore of these women.”

“Yes, Jeffrey Epstein manipulated the satellite astir him and the radical astir him. He compartmentalized his life, showing lone what helium wanted to amusement to the radical astir him, including Ghislaine,” she said.

The defence lawyer repeatedly told jurors the alleged victims outlined successful the indictment “reframed” their stories of maltreatment against Epstein to see Maxwell for the involvement of a payday. She placed blasted connected civilian attorneys who she said saw Epstein and Maxwell arsenic casual targets for lawsuits.

The defence lawyer spoke astatine magnitude astir the Epstein Victim Compensation Fund, telling jurors the alleged victims successful this lawsuit received millions successful an “enhanced” compensation bundle done the programme for cooperating with the government.

Sternheim went done each alleged unfortunate expected to testify, discrediting them for antithetic reasons including delayed reporting and substance abuse.

The parties took much than 1 sidebar aft respective objections from prosecutors. The prosecution objected to definite connection utilized by Sternheim astir the alleged victims’ imaginable fiscal motives successful the lawsuit and the defence statement that Maxwell is an guiltless stand-in connected proceedings successful Epstein’s place.

Alleged victims to attest astatine trial

The 4 alleged victims successful the lawsuit are identified successful the indictment arsenic Minor Victims 1 done 4.

Maxwell was contiguous and progressive successful immoderate of the maltreatment alleged by Minor Victim-1, tribunal documents say. That unfortunate allegedly archetypal met Maxwell erstwhile she was astir 14 years aged and was sexually abused by Epstein astatine his properties successful New York and Florida, according to the indictment.

Maxwell “involved” the miss successful radical “sexualized massages” connected Epstein, undressing successful beforehand of the miss and was contiguous erstwhile Minor Victim-1 undressed successful beforehand of Epstein, the indictment says.

Minor Victim-2 traveled to New Mexico successful 1996 wherever Epstein allegedly abused her astatine his ranch. Maxwell allegedly groomed Minor Victim-2, giving her an unsolicited massage portion she was topless. Maxwell besides encouraged Minor Victim-2 to massage Epstein, according to the indictment.

Judge Alison Nathan ruled up of the proceedings jurors would beryllium instructed they cannot convict Maxwell based connected grounds regarding the intersexual behaviour betwixt Epstein and a pistillate identified successful the indictment arsenic Minor Victim-3 due to the fact that she was 17 astatine the clip and truthful implicit the property of consent successful the applicable jurisdictions.

Her grounds arsenic a witnesser volition inactive beryllium applicable to the wide alleged conspiracy to entice minors to prosecute successful amerciable intersexual conduct. Allegedly befriending and grooming her, Maxwell introduced the young miss to Epstein successful London erstwhile she was 17, according to the indictment.

Maxwell encouraged her to execute sexualized massages during which she was allegedly abused by Epstein successful 1994 and 1995.

Minor Victim-4 archetypal met Maxwell erstwhile she was recruited astatine astir 14 years aged to springiness sexualized massages to Epstein astatine his Palm Beach residence. Between 2001 and 2004, Minor Victim-4 was paid hundreds of dollars successful currency for her interactions with Epstein during which he’d sexually maltreatment her, according to the indictment.

The unfortunate besides allegedly recruited different young females to supply sexualized massages connected Epstein astatine his and Maxwell’s request. At times, Maxwell called the unfortunate from New York to docket the massages connected Epstein upon his instrumentality to Florida. Maxwell besides sent gifts from New York, including lingerie, to the victim’s location successful Florida, the indictment says.

Maxwell’s counsel maintains she is guiltless and was lone charged due to the fact that Epstein died.

What we mightiness spot successful court

Previous tribunal filings person previewed what grounds and grounds volition beryllium portion of this case.

A erstwhile worker astatine Epstein’s Palm Beach mansion volition attest astir an code publication containing interaction accusation for alleged underage victims and high-profile celebrities Epstein and Maxwell associated with, according to tribunal documents. It’s unclear astatine this constituent if jurors volition get to spot a transcript of the publication during the trial.

The worker volition attest this transcript aligns with her recollection of the bound and sewn, typed publication that contains interaction accusation for Maxwell’s household members and the alleged victims successful this case, tribunal filings say.

Judge Nathan said during the last pretrial proceeding she’d perceive the unnamed employee’s grounds astir the publication earlier she rules connected whether jurors tin spot immoderate of it.

Prosecutors accidental the publication belonged to Maxwell and copies of it and different belonging to Epstein were placed astir Epstein’s location for convenience, per a location manual obtained via a hunt warrant.

Prosecutors allege Maxwell had a signifier of grooming Epstein’s victims, making them comfy by taking them connected outings similar buying and going to spot movies, and asking astir their idiosyncratic lives.

An adept connected kid enactment abuse, Dr. Lisa Rocchio, is expected to attest for the prosecution connected the grooming of minors for intersexual abuse, a conception astatine the crux of the government’s statement for the charges against Maxwell successful the indictment.

Judge Nathan ruled the defence whitethorn besides telephone adept witnesses to combat the expected grounds from the prosecution’s expert.

Dr. Park Dietz is expected to downplay grooming successful grounds for the defense, saying grooming tin simply beryllium benignant behaviour that does not inherently person to beryllium associated with intersexual abuse, according to a defence motion.

Dr. Elizabeth Loftus is besides expected to attest for the defence astir representation distortion and the inclination of victims to retrieve halfway accusation but hide oregon misremember peripheral details astir a traumatic event, according to a defence motion.

Loftus was likewise paid to attest connected the taxable successful Harvey Weinstein’s defense successful the 2020 proceedings that ended successful a condemnation of the disgraced movie mogul connected intersexual misconduct charges.

Maxwell faces 2 further perjury charges connected to allegations she lied during a 2016 civilian deposition which are expected to beryllium handled successful a abstracted trial.