Trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's former girlfriend, begins
Maxwell faces six federal sex trafficking charges as prosecutors say the former British socialite groomed victims for billionaire sex offender.
Jurors at the New York sex-abuse trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, the ex-girlfriend and longtime associate of Jeffrey Epstein, were shown a law enforcement videotape of the interior of a Florida estate where prosecutors say she and the financier exploited underage victims when the pair lived there together.
The video, which was played for the panel of jurors on Friday afternoon, was shot during a 2005 raid at the Palm Beach home, which was decorated with nude photos and paintings of young women — decor that federal prosecutors in Manhattan claim is proof of a sexualized atmosphere encouraged by Maxwell, Epstein's "partner in crime."
GHISLAINE MAXWELL TRIAL: HOUSEKEEPER FOUND SEX TOYS, LEATHER COSTUME AFTER EPSTEIN'S MASSAGES
Maxwell, a British socialite, was Epstein’s onetime girlfriend and, later, employee. Prosecutors said she took the girls on shopping trips and movie outings, talked to them about their lives and encouraged them to accept financial help from him.
GHISLAINE MAXWELL TRIAL: FIRST ACCUSER SAYS EPSTEIN INTRODUCED HER TO TRUMP AT AGE 14
The government also says she helped to create a sexualized atmosphere by talking with the girls about sex and encouraging them to give Epstein massages. A woman identified as "Jane" testified this week that she had sexual interactions with Epstein at age 14 with Maxwell in the room and sometimes participating.
Maxwell, 59, denies the allegations against her, and her lawyers say prosecutors are going after her because they can’t try Epstein.
Epstein died in a New York City federal corrections facility in 2019, while charged with sex trafficking counts that alleged he abused dozens of underage girls in New York and Florida. The case against Maxwell stems from four now-adult women who said she helped him victimize them.
GHISLAINE MAXWELL WAS PART OF EPSTEIN ORGIES, SAYS FIRST ACCUSER IN TRIAL
Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell attend de Grisogono Sponsors The 2005 Wall Street Concert Series Benefitting Wall Street Rising, with a Performance by Rod Stewart at Cipriani Wall Street on March 15, 2005 in New York City. (Photo by Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images )
Also on Friday, former Epstein housekeeper Juan Patricio Alessi returned to the witness stand on Friday to face cross-examination over his testimony that "Jane" and another woman who has accused Epstein of sexually abusing her as teens were repeated visitors at the Palm Beach mansion, where Maxwell was "the lady of the house."
GHISLAINE MAXWELL WAS ‘NO. 2’ IN HIERARCHY OF EPSTEIN'S OPERATION, PILOT TESTIFIES
A lawyer for the British socialite sought to discredit Alessi — who worked for Epstein from 1990 to 2002 — by confronting him with a deposition from a civil case that the defense says was inconsistent with his trial testimony.
Alessi claimed on Friday that none of the many young women who visited the Florida home alerted him to any misconduct.
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"I wish they would have because I would have done something," he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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