British heiress Ghislaine Maxwell will stand trial Monday on charges she procured girls for Jeffrey Epstein’s underage sex ring—more than a year after her arrest at a luxury hideout in New Hampshire, and two years after the financier killed himself in a Manhattan jail.
The 59-year-old socialite is the only member of Epstein’s inner circle thus far to face a criminal indictment in the wake of his death despite allegations from victims who say she wasn’t alone in facilitating his rampant sexual abuse. She faces eight total counts including sex trafficking of children and sex-trafficking conspiracy. Two perjury charges will be tried separately. If convicted, she could get a maximum sentence of 80 years behind bars.
Prosecutors say Maxwell groomed at least four teen girls for Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s, encouraging victims to provide paid sexualized massages to the wealthy predator in New York, New Mexico, Florida, and England. She also allegedly pushed victims to recruit other girls for the sex-trafficking scheme. Maxwell has adamantly denied any wrongdoing. Her lawyers contend that the feds never charged her until their high-profile defendant was dead and, grappling with intensifying public scrutiny, made her into a “substitute” for Epstein.
Maxwell’s trial will feature four accusers who say she helped groom them to be abused by Epstein when they were still teenagers. The prosecution is planning to call at least one employee of Epstein’s to the witness box—but...
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