Opening statements in the high-profile trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime associate of Jeffery Epstein, began today.
Authorities arrested Maxwell in June of 2020 for coordinating the rape and sexual exploitation of underage girls. Maxwell is said to be Epstein’s assistant and partner in crime.
Epstein was arrested in 2019 and reportedly committed suicide on August 10, 2019, when incarcerated at Metropolitan Correctional Facility.
A forensic pathologist hired by Epstein’s family gave his opinion that Epstein’s death was by homicide rather than suicide.
In A CBS News “60 Minutes” report, Dr. Michael Baden questioned the cause of death after observing Epstein’s four-hour autopsy. Baden noted there were “fractures of the left, the right thyroid cartilage and the left hyoid bone.”
Baden added, “I have never seen three fractures like this in a suicidal hanging. Going over a thousand jail hangings, suicides in the New York City State prisons over the past 40-50 years, no one had three fractures.”
Some view Epstein’s death as suspicious and perhaps an attempt to silence him before he could be tried on the charges against him, as to preclude him from revealing secrets about the countless high-profile celebrities and politicians he hosted on his private island and spacious home in the Southwest—sites where he and his guests allegedly sexually abused minors.
His right-hand assistant was Ghislaine Maxwell, who the New York Post depicts as a madam, a “British socialite,” and Epstein’s “partner in crime.”
The Post notes that federal prosecutors stated Maxwell was “essential” in Epstein’s plans to abuse and exploit children.
In attendance, today at the lower Manhattan courthouse, were Maxwell’s sister, Isabel; one of Epstein’s victims, Sarah Ransome; and Ransome’s attorney, Lisa Bloom, who represents several of Epstein’s alleged victims.
Ransome tweeted, “I never thought this day would come.”
Laying a foundation for how complex and coordinated the crimes were, Assistant United States Attorney Lara Pomerantz told jurors, “The defendant [Maxwell] and Epstein lured their victims with the promise of a brighter future — only to sexually exploit them and forever change their lives.”
Maxwell was considered a flight risk and denied bail when arraigned in July 2020. She is accused of being complicit in helping Epstein “recruit, groom and ultimately abuse” girls as young as 14, according to the indictment against her.
Pomerantz told the jury: “[Maxwell] put them at ease and made them feel safe all so they could be abused by a middle-aged man.”
Pomerantz added that just verbalizing the crime was disturbing: “I know this is hard to hear, but these are the facts of the case. This is what happened to these children.”
Maxwell is the youngest child of the UK publishing giant Robert Maxwell. She reportedly had an unhappy childhood, was shipped off to a boarding school, and later wrestled with working for her father.
It is thought her father committed suicide in 1991 amid business problems. An investigation later determined that Robert Maxwell illegally used more than $700 million in cash from pension funds to try to keep his business ventures afloat.
Ghislaine Maxwell faces six charges, including the sex trafficking of minors between 1994 and 2004.
The trial has attracted the attention of the world. The details of Epstein’s activity could have far-reaching ramifications.
The New York Posted noted that media would have access to the proceedings’ live video and audio feeds.
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