Ghislaine Maxwell appears in court in N.Y. as sex abuse trial set to begin

Ghislaine Maxwell appeared in Manhattan federal court on Monday for her trial on charges that she recruited and groomed underage girls for the late financier Jeffrey Epstein to abuse, with opening statements set to begin after jury selection concludes.

Ghislaine Maxwell appeared in Manhattan federal court on Monday for her trial on charges that she recruited and groomed underage girls for the late financier Jeffrey Epstein to abuse, with opening statements set to begin after jury selection concludes. U.S. prosecutors have said that between 1994 and 2004, Maxwell - a former employee and romantic partner of Epstein's - gained the girls' trust by taking them to movies, sending them gifts such as lingerie and discussing sexual topics, according to a 2021 indictment.

Maxwell, wearing a white face mask amid the COVID-19 pandemic, appeared in court, with jury selection expected to conclude on Monday. U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan asked lawyers for both sides whether they were prepared for trial. Assistant U.S. District Attorney Maurene Comey and Bobbi Sternheim, a lawyer for Maxwell, both said that they were.

Maxwell, 59, has pleaded not guilty to eight charges of sex trafficking and other crimes, including two counts of perjury that will be tried at a later date. She faces up to 80 years in prison if convicted on all counts. Her lawyers have said that prosecutors, unable to convict Epstein, are using Maxwell, who rose to prominence as the daughter of late British media magnate Robert Maxwell, as a scapegoat https://www.reuters.com/world/maxwell-challenge-accusers-seek-distance-epstein-sex-abuse-trial-2021-11-23. Epstein died by suicide at 66 in 2019 in a Manhattan jail cell while awaiting trial on sex abuse allegations.

Maxwell's trial comes in the wake of the #MeToo movement, which has encouraged victims of sexual abuse to speak out against powerful men such as movie producer Harvey Weinstein and R&B singer R. Kelly accused of misconduct. Maxwell's case stands out in part because she is a woman.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)