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Ghislaine Maxwell trial – live: Jury begins deliberation after closing arguments centred around Epstein



Court hears four women met Ghislaine Maxwell as teens, accusing her as adults

The jury in British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex trafficking was sent out to deliberate on Monday evening after hearing closing arguments which featured intimate photos of the defendant and Jeffrey Epstein, including images of them swimming naked in a pool.

In a powerful closing for the prosecution, Assistant US Attorney Alison Moe described Ms Maxwell as a “sophisticated” and “dangerous” predator who targeted vulnerable young girls.

“Maxwell ran the same playbook again and again. She groomed them. She caused deep and lasting harm to young girls. It is time to hold her accountable,” Ms Moe said.

In closing for the defence, Ms Maxwell’s attorney Laura Menninger sought to distance her from Epstein, saying: “The US presented evidence like a sensational tabloid. These were things that Epstein did, perhaps, his crimes. But Ghislaine Maxwell is not Epstein.”

Ms Maxwell, who has pleaded not guilty to six charges, refused to take the stand in her own defence last week, telling US District Judge Alison Nathan: “Your honour, the government has not proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt, and so there’s no reason for me to testify.”

The jury was sent out to deliberate just before 5pm on Monday.

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What did each accuser say about Ghislaine Maxwell?

At the centre of this trial were four women who said that Ghislaine Maxwell had played a role in, and sometimes participated in, their sexual abuse by Jeffrey Epstein.

Who were they, and what did they say? In her feature today, Rachel Sharp explores their stories and what role they played in the trial.

Three of the women testified under pseudonyms, while one, Annie Farmer, said under her own name that Ms Maxwell had given her a nude massage and groped her breasts at Epstein’s ranch in New Mexico when she was just 16.

Io Dodds21 December 2021 02:59

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The strange life of Robert Maxwell’s youngest daughter

As we wait for the jury to deliver their verdict, it’s worth looking back on Ghislain Maxwell’s colourful and eventful life before meeting Epstein.

Born in 1961 in Paris to the British newspaper baron Robert Maxwell and his French wife Elisbeth, she learned to program computers at her father’s publishing outfit and attended Oxford University, where she friends with actor Hugh Grant.

Yet everything changed for her family in 1991, when Maxwell’s body was found dead after falling off his luxury yacht, the Lady Ghislaine, and investigations exposed that he had fraudulently appropriated over £440m from his newspaper company’s pensions.

Io Dodds21 December 2021 01:58

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What are the charges against Ghislaine Maxwell?

The jury has to consider six separate charges against Ms Maxwell, my colleague Luc Cohen explains.

The first four charges are violations or attempted violations of the Mann Act, a US law that bars transporting people across state lines for illegal sexual activity.

Prosecutors say that between 1994 and 1997 Ms Maxwell persuaded an under-age girl to travel from Florida to New York for sex with Epstein, and that in 1996 she induced another girl to fly to Epstein’s New Mexico ranch.

The other two charges are one count of sex trafficking of a minor and one count of sex trafficking conspiracy, relating to Ms Maxwell’s alleged recruitment of a third victim starting in 2001.

Io Dodds21 December 2021 01:01

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All the famous names embroiled in the Ghislaine Maxwell trial

A key part of this trial has been the relationships that Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein maintained with presidents, movie stars and royalty.

Ms Maxwell’s accusers testified that would frequently boast of her close friendships with Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew and Donald Trump. Prosecutors alleged that these flashy connections served to entice and intimidate victims.

When the FBI raided Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse in 2019, they found a trove of photos of Ms Maxwell and Epstein on private jets and in exotic locations across the world. One image showed them in front of a log cabin at Balmoral, the Queen’s Scottish estate.

Io Dodds21 December 2021 00:07

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ICYMI: When will there be a verdict?

The jury in Ms Maxwell’s trial began deliberations on Monday evening after both sides presented their closing arguments.

The socialite and alleged madam for Jeffrey Epstein has pleaded not guilty to six federal charges, including one for sex trafficking of a minor and one for sex trafficking conspiracy.

The four other charges related to the Mann Act, which bars transporting individuals across state lines for illegal sexual activity.

It’s impossible to say how long the jury will take to come to a verdict on each of the six charges.

However, experts have speculated that jurors will aim to have the trial wrapped up by the end of the week before Christmas arrives.

The Independent’s Megan Sheets reports:

Megan Sheets20 December 2021 23:20

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New video shows raid at Epstein mansion

As part of its closing argument on Monday, the prosecution showed footage of an FBI raid on Epstein’s Florida mansion.

The hour-long video, released as part of the FBI’s investigation into the late financier in 2019, shows Palm Beach police entering Epstein’s home armed with pistols.

The Independent’s Gino Spoccia reports:

Megan Sheets20 December 2021 22:50

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Inside Epstein flight logs

Flight logs released by prosecutors in the Maxwell trial show Donald Trump flew onboard Jeffrey Epstein’s private jet with a beauty queen, a senior aide to Bill Clinton, his former wife Marla Maples and his children Eric and Tiffany.

The logs from Epstein pilot David Rodgers were entered into evidence on Monday by the US District Attorney’s Office as part of their case that alleges Ms Maxwell helped to groom and traffic young girls for abuse.

The Independent’s Bevan Hurley reports:

Megan Sheets20 December 2021 22:20

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Jury begins deliberations

Ms Maxwell’s case is now in the hands of the jury.

Judge Alison Nathan gave a panel of 12 the green light to begin deliberations just before 5pm on Monday after a long day of closing arguments.

Megan Sheets20 December 2021 21:51

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Possible sentences for each charge

Below is a breakdown of the charges Ms Maxwell faces and their corresponding sentencing guidelines:

Count 1: Conspiracy to entice a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts – maximum sentence of five years

Count 2: Enticing a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts – maximum sentence of five years

Count 3: Conspiracy to transport a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity – maximum sentence of five years

Count 4: Transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity – maximum sentence of 10 years

Count 5: Conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors – maximum sentence of five years

Count 6: Sex trafficking of minors – maximum sentence of 40 years

Megan Sheets20 December 2021 21:20

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Maxwell seen in new court sketch

A new court sketch shows Ms Maxwell listening to closing arguments at her trial on Monday.

According to investigative journalist Leah McGrath Goodman, Ms Maxwell appeared “subdued”, “undisturbed” and “even bored” by the prosecution’s closing.

A court sketch shows Ghislaine Maxwell listening to closing arguments on 20 December

(REUTERS)

Megan Sheets20 December 2021 21:10





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