As attorneys delivered opening statements in the criminal trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, a longtime associate of the late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, on Monday, the disgraced British socialite was likened to Eve in the Garden of Eden.
“Ever since Eve was accused of tempting Adam with the apple, women have been blamed for the bad behaviour of men, and women are often vilified and punished more than men are. The charges against Ghislaine Maxwell are for things Jeffrey Epstein did. But she is not Jeffrey Epstein,” said the 59-year-old’s lawyer Bobbi Sternheim.
Maxwell faces a six-count indictment for allegedly conspiring with and aiding Epstein in his sexual abuse of underage girls as young as 14 between 1994 and 2004. If convicted, she faces up to 80 years in prison. Epstein’s alleged pimp or “madam” has pleaded not guilty on all charges. The defence attorney instead that Maxwell was being used as a “scapegoat” as Epstein’s death had “left a gaping hole in the pursuit for justice.”
FILE PHOTO: Audrey Strauss, acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, speaks alongside William F. Sweeney Jr., assistant director-in-charge of the New York Office, at a news conference announcing charges against Ghislaine Maxwell for her alleged role in the sexual exploitation and abuse of minor girls by Jeffrey Epstein in New York City, New York, U.S., July 2, 2020
© REUTERS / Lucas Jackson
Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan correctional center in Manhattan on 10 August 2019, while awaiting trial on charges of trafficking teenage girls. He had pleaded not guilty.
“He’s the proverbial elephant in the room. He is not visible, but he is consuming this entire courtroom and overflow courtrooms where other members of the public are viewing,” said Sternheim.
As to the four alleged victims that are expected to testify, according to the defence attorney they all share the fact that they got “big bucks” in compensation from the Epstein estate. According to Sternheim, Maxwell’s accusers are looking for a “jackpot of money.” The lawyer called on the jurors not to allow Maxwell’s privileged background to cloud their judgment.
The daughter of the debt-ridden publishing tycoon Robert Maxwell, who officially died of drowning in 1991, is an Oxford graduate and a helicopter pilot who enjoyed a “comfortable lifestyle, status”.
British press magnate Robert Maxwell's daughter Ghislaine (C) attends the funeral service for her father on the Mount of Olives on 10 November 1991.
© AFP 2023 / SVEN NACKSTRAND
“…They may be things that easily check the wrong box, but they are not crimes,” said Sternheim, adding:
“She is not like Jeffrey Epstein and she is not like any of the other men, powerful men, moguls, who abused women.”
Ghislaine Maxwell was “a brand name [and] a lightning rod” for claims in the wake of sex predator Epstein’s death, underscored the defence. According to the lawyer who has represented numerous Death Row cases the accusers have “shaken the money tree, and millions of dollars have fallen their way”. The lawyer branded the Maxwell case as being about “memory, manipulation and money”. She emphasised that the accusers’ memories had been “corrupted” and “contaminated”.
This Tuesday, July 9, 2019 photo shows a view of Little St. James Island, in the U. S. Virgin Islands, a property owned by Jeffrey Epstein
© AP Photo / Gianfranco Gaglione
In 2019, dozens of women accused Epstein of sexual abuse and rape. They claimed that Maxwell lured them into the hands of the financier by promising them well-paid jobs at the millionaire's house. Some of the women claimed that she not only groomed them, but also took part in the abuse.
“As we all know, memories fade over time, and in this case we will learn not only have memories faded, but they have been contaminated by outside information, media reports," stated Maxwell's defence
As for the deceased financial tycoon himself, the attorney described him as an intriguing character, a “patron of the arts” who possessed many “desirable traits, attractiveness, charisma, intelligence, status, charm,” rather like a “21st-century James Bond”.
U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein appears in a photograph taken for the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services' sex offender registry March 28, 2017 and obtained by Reuters July 10, 2019.
© REUTERS / Handout .
Bobbi Sternheim claimed Ghislaine Maxwell was being prosecuted because US authorities were unable to bring Epstein to justice. However, the prosecution had failed to prove the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt, adding: “When all is said and done the evidence will show that the government cannot because Ghislaine did not.”
‘Partner in Crime’
Prosecutors allege Ghislaine Maxwell was a "right-hand partner in crime” of Jeffrey Epstein’s in sex abuse at his luxurious residences. She is portrayed as "the lady of the house" who "helped normalise abusive sexual conduct". Maxwell is accused of having enticed the girls by taking them on luxury shopping sprees, trips to the movies and an overall friendly façade.
“As an adult woman, she was able to provide a cover of respectability to Epstein that lulled these girls and their families into a false sense of security. She was in on it from the start,” Assistant District Attorney Lara Pomerantz said in her opening statement.
Pomerantz insisted that the accused “preyed on vulnerable young girls, manipulated them, and served them up to be sexually abused".
British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell appears during her arraignment hearing on a new indictment at Manhattan Federal Court in New York City, New York, U.S. April 23, 2021, in this courtroom sketch.
© REUTERS / JANE ROSENBERG
Four alleged victims of Epstein’s abuse are expected to testify in court in the coming days as proceedings are set to last about six weeks with a brief pause over Christmas. Some of the late financier’s staff will also reportedly testify, with the court to be presented with evidence from flight logs of his private plane and Fedex records of gifts sent to alleged victims.
Furthermore, prosecutors plan to present a notebook which purportedly belongs to Maxwell containing the names and contact information of Epstein's alleged victims. The notebook, they argue, provides "compelling evidence" of her guilt. There has not been any indication whether Ghislaine Maxwell will take the stand to testify.