Ghislaine Maxwell Sex Trafficking Trial: Opening Statements Begin For Jeffrey Epstein Confidante

A jury in New York is hearing opening arguments Monday in the criminal trial of British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, a confidante of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who died in prison while awaiting trial on child sex trafficking charges.

Juror issues delayed the trial in the morning, but the defense and prosecution presented their opening arguments after the lunch break.

Maxwell, 59, is charged with conspiracy to and the transportation and enticement of minors for sex trafficking and illegal sex acts by force, fraud, and coercion. Maxwell has pled not guilty.

Epstein's death ended the criminal case against him, but it has not stopped accusers from holding those who enabled Epstein accountable, including Maxwell.

"The shadow of Epstein is going to loom large here," Moira Penza, a former federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, told the New York Times. "The case is obviously going to be about Maxwell, but he’s going to be right at the center of it as well."

The trial will answer whether Maxwell sexually exploited and groomed girls as young as 14 for Epstein. Maxwell was first charged in July 2020.

Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said at the time, "Ghislaine Maxwell facilitated, aided, and participated in acts of sexual abuse of minors . . . She pretended to be a woman they could trust. All the while, she was setting them up to be abused sexually by Epstein and, in some cases, Maxwell herself.”

According to the indictment, victims allege she gained their trust by taking them to movies, sending them gifts such as lingerie, and discussing lude topics.

The indictment reads: “Maxwell assisted, facilitated, and contributed to Jeffrey Epstein's abuse of minor girls by, among other things, helping Epstein to recruit, groom, and ultimately abuse victims known to Maxwell and Epstein to be under the age of 18 ”

The indictment also alleges Epstein paid some of the girls hundreds of dollars for such acts.

There reportedly is also a "little black book" which the jurors may see during the trial, which holds the names of Epstein’s victims and the high-profile individuals Epstein and Maxwell associated with, according to CNN.

Some of the names of these high-profile individuals that have come out in recent years are Bill Gates, Prince Andrew, and former presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, among others.

Prince Andrew is being sued by a woman who alleges he sexually abused her when she was a minor. The trial in New York could take place in late 2022. He is not expected to be part of the Maxwell trial.

Defenders of Maxwell, including her family, allege that Epstein manipulated Maxwell and that she was also a victim and is now paying the price. Epstein was known to pay employees, associates, and victims of his to recruit girls for him.

Maxwell is the daughter of Robert Maxwell, a newspaper magnate who died in 1991 after falling off his yacht in the wake of allegations he illegally looted his businesses’ pension funds.

She is Oxford-educated and holds passports in the U.S., Britain, and France, which was the cause of her repeatedly being denied bail in the lead up to this trial.

Maxwell faces up to 70 years in prison if she is found guilty on all eight charges.