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Ghislaine Maxwell ran 'pyramid scheme of abuse' with Jeffrey Epstein

Ghislaine Maxwell sits at the start of her trial on charges of sex trafficking
Ghislaine Maxwell sits at the start of her trial on charges of sex trafficking

Ghislaine Maxwell manipulated young girls and “served them up” to Jeffrey Epstein, a New York court heard on Monday as the trial finally began of the British socialite allegedly at the centre of one of the largest sex-trafficking rings in US history.

Prosecutors told the jury how Ms Maxwell was the late financier's partner in crime in a “pyramid scheme of abuse”, which saw her grooming girls as young as 14, who in turn were made to recruit others for Epstein’s pleasure.

Ms Maxwell, 59, wearing a pale pink jumper, fixed her gaze on the members of the jury for most of the US government’s 25-minute opening statement. Appearing relaxed, she ran her fingers through her thick, dark bob and occasionally looked away to jot down notes.

Assistant US Attorney Lara Pomerantz said the heiress, who has spent the last 15 months in a federal prison in Brooklyn, used her “cover of respectability” to lull Epstein’s victims, at the start of what has already been dubbed the “trial of the century”.

Assistant US Attorney Lara E Pomerantz gives her opening statement
Assistant US Attorney Lara E Pomerantz gives her opening statement

“Make no mistake, she knew what Epstein was going to do. He did not abuse (the victims) alone, she was in the room for the abuse,” said Ms Pomerantz, who warned the jury that some of what was alleged would be “hard to hear”.

Pomerantz described Maxwell as "essential" to Epstein's abuse of the girls.

"Sometimes, she was even in the room for the massages herself, and sometimes she touched the girls' bodies," Pomerantz said.

"And even when she was not in the room, make no mistake: she knew exactly what Epstein was going to do with those children when she sent them to him inside the massage rooms."

Ms Maxwell "was involved in every detail of Epstein's life," the prosecutor said. "The defendant was the lady of the house."

Epstein 'a 21st-century James Bond' figure

Bobbi Sternheim, Ms Maxwell’s lead attorney, countered that Epstein was “a 21st-century James Bond” figure and that “his mystery has stirred interest and his victims have shaken the money tree,” she said, referring to Ms Maxwell’s four accusers claiming compensation from the late sex offender’s estate.

“Consider the incentive of personal monetary gain,” she added, before the prosecution interjected with an objection.

Ms Maxwell faces eight criminal counts tied to alleged efforts to entice minors to travel and engage in illegal sex acts, conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, and sex trafficking conspiracy. She has denied the charges, but faces up to 80 years in prison if found guilty.

Standing outside the court in Lower Manhattan, Sarah Ransome, an alleged victim of Ms Maxwell, was overcome with emotion.

Sarah Ransome, an alleged victim of Ms Maxwell, was overcome with emotion outside court
Sarah Ransome, an alleged victim of Ms Maxwell, was overcome with emotion outside court

“I have so many emotions. I never thought this day would come. Ever,” she said as she choked back tears.

“I’ve waited 26 years for this,” tweeted Maria Farmer, one of Ms Maxwell and former partner Epstein’s alleged victims, whose sister is one of the four accusers due to testify.

Isabel Maxwell, Ghislaine’s older sister, was the only member of the family present in court. Scott Borgerson, Ms Maxwell's husband and an American entrepreneur who offered up millions of dollars in collateral for her failed appeals for bail, was notably absent.

A dozen jurors, plus six alternates, were whittled down from a pool of 60 on Monday morning to sit for what is expected to be a six-week hearing, masked and socially distanced in a pandemic-era courtroom.

One of those selected worked for a financial institution, as Epstein had done, but said he could be impartial. Most of those picked had either read or heard about the financier’s sex trafficking ring, which will prove a challenge for the defence to overcome.

Ms Maxwell’s lawyers claim the heiress has been put in the dock for the crimes of her ex-boyfriend, who died in 2019 awaiting his own sex-trafficking trial.

The federal US District Court is just yards from the prison where Epstein was found hanging in his cell.

"Epstein's death left a gaping hole for justice for these women,” Ms Sternheim told the court. "[Ms Maxwell] is a brand name. She is a lightning rod. She is a convenient stand-in,” Ms Sternheim said.

Proecutors have described Ms Maxwell as the registered sex offender's shadowy right-hand confidante and accomplice, who acted both as paramour and madam at the behest of his proclivities.

The prosecutor sought to make clear there was no confusion about whether Ms Maxwell was Epstein’s puppet or accomplice.

Together the pair allegedly crafted a scheme to procure young girls for Epstein, who claimed a "biological" need for sex three times a day.

The trial’s drama will revolve around testimony from four women who say they and others were victimised as teenager from 1994 to 2004 at Epstein’s estate in Palm Beach, Florida, his Manhattan townhouse and at other residences in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and London.

In what is viewed by some legal experts as a risky strategy in the post-MeToo era, the daughter of press baron Robert Maxwell’s lawyers will question the credibility of the four women.

They have said in a court filing that one was motivated by a "desire for cash" and that all had received payouts from the Epstein Victims’ Compensation Fund.

The proceedings come after convictions of disgraced Hollywood director Harvey Weinstein and the singer R. Kelly, which saw the defence rely on challenges of credibility, that ultimately failed.

Ms Maxwell’s family has repeatedly said the youngest of the nine siblings has been scapegoated after Epstein’s death.

This is "the most over-hyped trial of the century without a doubt," brother Ian Maxwell said last week.

“This is not quite a put-up job but nonetheless [the case] has been cobbled together so that Ghislaine is made to face the charges that Epstein never faced.

"This is designed to break her; I can't see any other way to read it.”