Ghislaine Maxwell
The most burning questions about your process start
Ghislaine Maxwell has not been at large since July 2020.
© imago / ZUMA Wire
The trial of Ghislaine Maxwell has begun. What is she accused of, how does she defend herself and what threatens a conviction?
The opening speeches by the lawyers marked the start of the sex ring trial against Ghislaine Maxwell (59) on November 29th. Answers to numerous questions have to be found in the course of the court hearing. The most crucial of these is whether the confidante of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein (1953-2019) was an assistant or plaything in his machinations. Here is the current state of knowledge.
What is Maxwell being accused of?
The British Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested in July 2020 and has been on remand in a US prison since then. How urgent the suspicion against them is became clear last December: because of the high risk of flight At the end of 2020, the competent court again rejected an application from Maxwell’s lawyersto release her on bail of $ 28.5 million.
The allegations against her are indeed grave. The prosecution accuses her of having, as Epstein’s right-hand man, procured underage victims for his sex ring, which the US investment banker and many of his confidants assaulted. Investigations into Epstein, found dead in his prison cell in 2019, revealed that the number of abused girls and young women could run into the hundreds.
“She hunted down vulnerable young girls, manipulated them and delivered them to sexual abuse,” said prosecutor Lara Pomerantz in her opening speech.
What does she say about the allegations?
Maxwell categorically denies that she was an accomplice of Epstein, including at the start of the trial. Their defense attorneys accuse the public prosecutor of using them as a scapegoat for the actions of Epstein in the pillory, since he can no longer be called to account.
“The charges against Ghislaine Maxwell relate to things Jeffrey Epstein did. But she is not Jeffrey Epstein,” said her attorney, Bobbi Sternheim. As a result, Maxwell pleaded not guilty on eight counts accused of running a sex trading ring.
What do you face if you are convicted?
Should the court find it proven that Maxwell played a major role in the abuse of minors, she may face life behind bars. If the jury finds them guilty, this could result in a prison sentence of up to 80 years. reports, among other things, “BBC News”.
So far, it has only been roughly determined when the judgment will be made. According to “The New York Times” it is assumed that the process will take around six weeks. A verdict would then be expected in mid-January of the coming year at the earliest.