Jeffrey Epstein’s accusers finally get to see someone face a trial: Ghislaine Maxwell

NEW YORK — Victims of sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein are finally getting their day in court. The long-awaited trial of British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell begins Monday in Manhattan.

Prosecutors allege that Maxwell, 59, was a central figure in Epstein’s sex criminal enterprise, helping him recruit and sexually abuse girls in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Epstein, 66, was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial on similar federal charges. His death was ruled a suicide, although his brother has said he doesn’t believe Epstein killed himself.

While Epstein and Maxwell have been universally vilified on social media, the case is not a slam-dunk for prosecutors, who face several obstacles in proving guilt. Maxwell’s family contends that she, too, was a victim who was exploited by Epstein and is now being unjustly tried for crimes that he committed.

Defense lawyers have lined up a team of high-priced experts to testify about the psychological aspects of victimization and such topics as the science of memory, grooming and post-traumatic stress disorder — all intended to cast doubt in the minds of the jurors.

The daughter of the late British media baron Robert Maxwell, Ghislaine Maxwell was once a fixture on the New York social scene who possessed a Rolodex of names and direct phone numbers to former presidents, world leaders, billionaires and celebrities.

In addition to being his girlfriend, Maxwell functioned as as one of Epstein’s recruiters, victims say, luring women and underage girls to his opulent homes around the world, including in Palm Beach, Manhattan, the Virgin Islands and New Mexico, to engage in massages that turned into sex acts. Sometimes she joined in the sex, the accusers allege.

Four women have been cited as victims in the indictment, two of whom were 14 when they were allegedly sexually abused. The judge has yet to decide whether evidence will be introduced at trial about other accusers.

Jill Steinberg, a former assistant U.S. attorney and Justice Department official who handled cases of child exploitation, said the trial will be a test of how jurors weigh evidence involving sexual abuse in the “Me Too” era.

“There is more of an awareness of victimization and why people become victims,” said Steinberg, who is now in private practice.

She said a defense strategy that hinges on maligning the minor victims or portraying them as consenting to the sexual activities in exchange for money may backfire.

“The fact is that they are minors and it doesn’t matter whether they consented or not,” she said.

The trial is expected to last six weeks. Unlike other high-profile trials, it will not be televised because cameras are generally not permitted in U.S. federal courtrooms.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3FPDWjO