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NEW YORK (AP) – In the first week of the sexual abuse trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, the first of her four lead accusers took the stand to testify emotionally, accusing the British celebrity of coaxing her into sexual encounters, when she was just 14 years old to have financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The Manhattan federal jury also heard from former employees who offered a glimpse into a lavish lifestyle Epstein shared with Maxwell, who was his girlfriend and then his employee. Her lawyers say she was a scapegoat for Epstein, who killed himself in 2019 while waiting behind bars for his trial.
Here are snapshots from a process that has garnered international attention:
END OF INNOCENCE
The story of the first Maxwell accuser began quite innocently: She was a 14-year-old who was eating ice cream in a music camp in 1994 when she was approached by Epstein and Maxwell, who were taking their Yorkie for a walk. What followed in the next few years, she had drawn for her life, said the prosecutor.
The witness – a woman, now in her 40s who was introduced to the jury as “Jane” to protect her privacy – testified that Maxwell and Epstein looked after her by taking her to the shops and taking her and her mother to Epstein’s mansion Palm Beach, Florida.
She was soon visiting the house alone when Maxwell and Epstein lured her into unwanted sexual contact, which Maxwell treated as “no big deal”. It was a pattern that prosecutors hope to prove that it was repeated over and over again in other girls and young women.
On Friday, prosecutors unfolded a green Epstein massage table to support the prosecutor’s statement that massage was used as a pretext for sexual encounters.
The defense wanted to know why it had taken “Jane” so long to come back.
“I was scared,” she said, suppressing tears. “I was embarrassed, ashamed. I didn’t want anyone to find out about me. “
Deaf, dumb and blind
Prosecutors say Maxwell created “a culture of silence” to cover up her and Epstein’s crimes. And evidence seemed to have written that culture down.
These instructions were part of a 58 page booklet of rules for the staff working at the villa. As if to bring home the point of keeping Maxwell and Epstein’s secrets, prosecutors said Epstein ordered the construction of a detached staff quarters surrounded by a high wall that blocks any view of the main house.
Juan Alessi, a former estate manager, testified that he saw the privacy policy “as a kind of warning that I should be blind, deaf and dumb, not to mention their life”.
Alessi remembered seeing “Jane” several times at the residence and noted that she looked underage. But he also said he never saw her walk into the bedroom with Epstein – or noticed anything else about her and the revolving door of young women that suggested sex crimes were committed at his place of work.
He claimed no one brought him to the attention of wrongdoing.
“I wish they did because I did something,” he said.
DEFENSE IN THE ATTACK
The defense demonstrated some of the tactics they are using to discredit “Jane” and three other lead prosecutors, who are due to testify before the end of the month.
Maxwell’s attorneys attempt to portray their abuse reports as unreliable, suggesting they have flawed memories and are being manipulated by attorneys who encourage them to play Maxwell’s role in civil claims following Epstein’s death. One of the lawyers even went so far as to conclude that “Jane” – a veteran television actress – could use her acting skills to embellish her testimony.
The attorney went through some of the storylines Jane has tackled over the years: protective mother, victim of bullying, someone being pursued by serial killers, prostitute. “Not my favorite role,” said the last witness.
When asked whether her background made her a “melodramatic and sentimental treatment of interpersonal situations”, she disagreed.
“Hopefully not melodramatically,” she said. “Just dramatic.”
NEXT
Three other lead prosecutors are waiting in the wings to testify against Maxwell. When this will happen remains unclear as prosecutors remain strict about the arrangement of their witnesses.
But the defense’s opening statement gave clues to the next prosecutor.
A Maxwell attorney said one was a psychotherapist Epstein met in New York City at the age of 16 and later visited his ranch in New Mexico. Another is a former model from Great Britain who was once with one of Maxwell’s friends. The third is someone the defense claims introduced Epstein to other victims who are not in the case.
Other evidence prosecutors have yet to come up with include flight logs of Epstein’s private planes – prosecutors say they confirm Maxwell, Epstein, and alleged victims traveled together – and FedEx records confirming that Epstein sent a gift to a victim when it was just 15 years old.
The process is forecast to take an additional five weeks.
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Associate press writers Jennifer Peltz and Larry Neumeister contributed to this report.
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