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Ghislaine Maxwell was a "dangerous" and "sophisticated predator" who recruited vulnerable girls to be sexually abused by late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, a Manhattan prosecutor told jurors Monday during closing arguments.
"Ghislaine Maxwell was dangerous," Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison Moe told the panel. "She manipulated her victims and groomed them. She caused deep and lasting harm to young girls. It’s time to hold her accountable."
Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein in an undated evidence photo. (SDNY)
During the three-week trial, prosecutors argued that Maxwell, 59, participated in and enabled Epstein’s sex crimes — allegedly luring and training the perfect victims for her one-time paramour.
Moe called her a "sophisticated predator who knew exactly what she was doing" when she allegedly groomed young girls to be sexually exploited by the globetrotting millionaire.
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She was the "lady of the house" and a "posh, smiling age-appropriate woman" who provided the perfect front for Epstein’s exploitation of teens as young as 14. The girls were allegedly abused at Epstein's New York townhouse, a Palm Beach mansion and a New Mexico ranch.
"Maxwell and Epstein committed horrifying crimes," Moe told jurors, as Maxwell, wearing a black mask and white sweater, jotted down notes. Four of her siblings watched the summations from the gallery.
Isabel and Kevin Maxwell leave the courthouse during a lunch break in the trial of their sister, Ghislaine Maxwell, in New York, Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Prosecutors called two dozen witnesses — including four women who say that they were abused by Epstein between 1994 and 2004 and that Maxwell was central to arranging the illicit encounters.
A defense lawyer for Maxwell countered that prosecutors only targeted the heiress after Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
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Attorney Laura Menninger called Maxwell an "innocent woman" who was unaware of Epstein's depraved crimes and has now become the scapegoat because he is not here.
He did not share everything with Maxwell despite their close relationship, including that he was dating other women in the 1990s, the lawyer told jurors.
Ghislaine Maxwell rubbing Jeffrey Epstein's foot on a private jet in an undated photo. (SDNY)
"Everyone knew Jeffrey was keeping secrets from Ghislaine, except Ghislaine," Menninger said.
The attorney argued that the accusers did not mention Maxwell's alleged role during earlier interviews with authorities.
"They all changed their stories when the Epstein victims' compensation fund was opened up," she said, referring to payouts from his estate to accusers.
The evidence portion of the Manhattan federal trial, initially slated to last six weeks, wrapped up in just three.
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Maxwell, who has been locked up since her arrest in July 2020, faces up to 70 years in prison if convicted of six counts of sex trafficking, enticement of a minor and other charges.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report
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