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Ghislaine Maxwell was dangerous predator, prosecutor says
The jury in Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex trafficking trial concluded its fourth day of deliberations without a verdict on Monday following a four-day break over the holiday, which saw the British socialite spend her 60th birthday behind bars on Christmas Day.
Jurors are considering six charges against Ms Maxwell, who is accused of recruiting and grooming teenage girls for convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein to abuse.
She has pleaded not guilty to all charges and said she is being made a scapegoat for Epstein’s acts after he died in 2019 while awaiting his own trial.
Over about 16 hours of deliberation last week, the jury requested transcripts of testimony from four women who claimed Ms Maxwell facilitated Epstein’s abuse and sometimes took part in it herself.
The first request came on 21 December regarding testimony from three of the women: Jane, Carolyn, and Annie Farmer. Just before the court went into recess on 22 December, jurors asked for testimony from the fourth accuser, Kate, and from Juan Alessi, former house manager at Epstein’s Florida estate.
On Monday, jurors requested three more transcripts of testimony from Jane’s ex-boyfriend, a police officer who led a 2005 raid at Epstein’s home, and a pilot on the financier’s “Lolita Express”.
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Show latest update 1640679742 Jane’s testimony at heart of Maxwell charges
Jurors on Monday asked US District Judge Alison Nathan to review the account of David Rodgers, who testified on 8 December that on several occasions in the 1990s, he flew Epstein’s private jet with Epstein, Ms Maxwell and an individual known by the pseudonym Jane on board.
Jane testified that Epstein began abusing her in 1994 when she was 14, and that Ms Maxwell participated in some of their encounters.
Her case is at the heart of two of the six counts Ms Maxwell faces: enticing a minor to travel for illegal sexual activity and transporting a minor for illegal sex acts. Ms Maxwell denies the allegations.
Jane said the encounters often took place at Epstein’s Palm Beach, Florida, estate, but that she traveled to Epstein’s homes in New Mexico and New York, where abuse also took place.
Tom Batchelor 28 December 2021 08:22
1640675970 Jury requests for definition of the word “enticement”
As the jury weighed the nuances of the case on the fourth day of deliberations in the Ghislaine Maxwell sex-trafficking trial, it requested a definition of the word “enticement”, which is an element in two of the six charges that the tainted British socialite faces.
Judge Alison Nathan cited previous court cases and said that she would reply that “entice means to attract, induce or lure using hope or desire.”
The charge relates to witness “Jane” who is using a pseudonym in testifying in the case. During the trial’s first week Jane said that Maxwell was part of her sexual contact with Epstein whom she met in 1994 when she was 14.
The six counts that Maxwell faces include one charge of enticing an underage girl to travel for illegal sexual activity, and another count of conspiracy to do the same
Here are the charges that Maxwell faces:
Ghislaine Maxwell trial: What are the charges and what sentence could she face? Ghislaine Maxwell charges in sex abuse trial
Sravasti Dasgupta 28 December 2021 07:19
1640668554 Jurors request stationary and witness notes
Jurors in the Ghislaine Maxwell trial, who returned after a 4-day Christmas break, have asked for office stationary, signalling that they may be still some way from reaching a verdict.
The 12 members of the jury returned to the Manhattan Federal Court on Monday and asked for a white paper board, different colour post-it notes and highlight markers.
In addition, jurors also asked for the testimony transcripts from two other witnesses as well as a definition of the word “enticement”, which forms an element in two of the six charges Ms Maxwell faces.
Last week the jurors had asked for the testimonies of the four accusers.
The jurors requests suggest that the jurors were going through the witnesses of all four of the women who have testified against Maxwell and said that she set them up for abuse by Epstein.
The office supplies and testimonies could be used in creating a visual representation of the evidence at hand.
The US government rested its case against Maxwell on Friday. Here’s what the prosecution’s case says
Ghislaine Maxwell: What have we learned from the prosecution’s case? The US Government rested its case against Maxwell on Friday.
Sravasti Dasgupta 28 December 2021 05:15
1640666013 Jurors ask for transcript testimony for Jane’s former boyfriend
Jurors on Monday asked for the transcript testimony of “Matt,” pseudonym for a television actor who is a former boyfriend of Jane, one of the accusers in the Maxwell trial. Matt said that he lived with Jane, one of the four accusers who have testified against Maxwell, between 2007 and 2014. He said that Jane, who met Epstein at 14, described him as a godfather who helped her financially after her father’s illness and death. He was later told that Epstein’s help “wasn’t free” but did not divulge any further details. When he had asked questions about her encounters with Epstein, Matt described Jane’s demeanour as “ashamed, embarrassed, horrified”. Matt added that she had said she felt more comfortable with Epstein because there was a woman around. Later when he contacted Jane in 2020 after Maxwell’s arrest to ask if Maxwell was the woman she had referenced as making her feel more comfortable in her encounters, Jane confirmed that Maxwell was the same woman.
Four women have taken the stand to testify about the alleged abuse they suffered at the hands of Maxwell and Epstein. Here’s what they said, Rachel Sharp writes
The case against Ghislaine Maxwell Four witnesses took the stand for the prosecution to testify about the alleged abuse they suffered at the hands of Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein. Here’s what they said, Rachel Sharp writes
Sravasti Dasgupta 28 December 2021 04:33
1640664056 Maxwell’s charity was a ‘reputation cleanser’
In the 2000s, Ms Maxwell wrote about how she grew up leisurely holidaying on her late father’s superyacht the Lady Ghislaine and being captivated by the deepsea explorer Jacque Cousteau.
Ms Maxwell wrote: “My love of the sea and adventure took me on an odyssey that eventually led me to ‘flying’ deep worker submersibles, remotely-operated underwater vehicles and helicopters, as well as becoming a certified emergency medical technician.”
And in 2012, she decided to launch a marine conservative non-profit The TerraMar Project which was touted by her to give the global ocean community a voice to the least protected — the high seas.
But it later turned out that the project was a mere vessel to revamp her reputation as Ms Maxwell did not pay a single dollar in grants for the next five years and it ran up high overhead costs for a charity of its weight, as per the tax findings.
It was also found that the TerraMar Project did not produce any tangible examples of successful ocean conservancy projects.
The Independent’s Bevan Hurley explains Ms Maxwell’s reputation cleanser:
Ghislaine Maxwell’s former marine conservation charity was a ‘reputation cleanser’ The TerraMar Project didn’t pay out any grant money between 2013 and 2017 and seemed to exist more to divert attention from Maxwell’s association with Epstein, friends say
Megan Sheets 28 December 2021 04:00
1640660456 EXPLAINED: What happened to Epstein?
The spectre of late financier and convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein has loomed large over Ms Maxwell’s trial.
Epstein was found dead at the same prison where Ms Maxwell is currently being held more than two years ago while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
The Independent’s Josh Marcus explains the details surrounding his death:
What happened to Jeffrey Epstein? Investigators are still examining what happened to Epstein two years after his death
Megan Sheets 28 December 2021 03:00
1640656856 Were Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell really in a romantic relationship?
The defence made every attempt to distance Ms Maxwell from Epstein and with revelations of the financier’s other relationships, many have questioned the nature of Maxwell and Epstein’s bond.
Two of the four women to testify have described how the pair would laugh and fool around with each other like doting teenagers, even though Ms Maxwell was well into her 30s at the time, and Epstein nearly a decade older.
Prosecutors have portrayed their intimate relationship as an essential part of Epstein’s and Ms Maxwell’s alleged predatory behaviour, as they supposedly partnered in luring young victims in to be sexually abused.
The Independent’s Bevan Hurley has the full story below:
Were Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell really in a romantic relationship? Duo appeared to be romantic partners to the young girls who were lured into their orbit, but even those who knew the pair for decades seemed unsure of the true nature of their relationship
Megan Sheets 28 December 2021 02:00
1640653256 Famous names ensnared in the Maxwell trial
Ms Maxwell and Epstein palled around with presidents, movie stars and royalty, hosting household names aboard private jets and at palatial properties all over the world.
Those decades-long connections formed a key role in Ms Maxwell’s trial for sex-trafficking at the federal courthouse in Manhattan.
Ms Maxwell would frequently boast of her close friendships with Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew and Donald Trump, her accusers have testified.
Prosecutors say the access to powerful people was both alluring and intimidating – and victims of Epstein’s abuse would feel afraid to break off contact out of fear of what he and his powerful allies might do.
The Independent’s Bevan Hurley explains all the famous names to come up over three weeks of testimony:
From Trump to Prince Andrew: All the biggest names embroiled in the Maxwell trial Maxwell’s accusers have testified they found her famous connections both alluring and intimidating
Megan Sheets 28 December 2021 01:00
1640649656 Planes, pools and palatial properties: Twelve striking images from the Ghislaine Maxwell trial
Prosecutors in the Ghislaine Maxwell trial released more than 150 exhibits as part of its case, including many never-before-seen images of the socialite’s jet-setting lifestyle with Jeffrey Epstein.
They show the pair on private jets, his mansions, and kissing and embracing in exotic locations around the world.
Ms Maxwell faces six charges; one each of enticement of a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, transportation of a minor with intent to engage in illegal sex acts, sex trafficking of a minor, and three counts of conspiracy related to the other counts. She has denied all the charges.
The Independent’s Bevan Hurley reports:
Twelve of the most striking images from the Ghislaine Maxwell trial From frolicking on jets, and boats, to black tie events in royal castles, here are some of the most striking images released during Ms Maxwell’s trial
Megan Sheets 28 December 2021 00:00
1640646056 The verdict sheet
Below is a copy of the verdict sheet that jurors will fill out and return to the court once they reach a consensus:
(Southern District of New York)
(Southern District of New York)
Megan Sheets 27 December 2021 23:00
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