Did this former British socialite assist a billionaire in committing vile child sex crimes?
The Story of Ghislaine Maxwell
Ghislaine Maxwell was the daughter of a wealthy French businessman. She grew up in a 53-room mansion in France until she moved to the United States after her father's death in 1991. After moving to America, Maxwell met a young billionaire named Jefferey Epstein. Maxwell began a romantic relationship with Epstein in early 1990, and she was closely linked to him until 2015. During her association with Epstein, Maxwell would recruit underage girls to provide "massages" to Epstein for financial compensation. But these girls would later testify in court that the "massage sessions" were a rouse to lure the children to do sexual acts with Epstein. Maxwell faced persistent allegations of procuring and sexually trafficking underage girls for many years, but these charges were denied by Maxwell. On July 2nd, 2020, Maxwell was arrested in New Hampshire through a mobile phone tracking device on the phone used by her to call one of her lawyers, her husband Scott Borgerson, and her sister Isabel. She was charged with six federal crimes: enticement of minors, sex trafficking of children, and perjury.
The Trial of Ghislaine Maxwell
In April 2021, US District Judge Alison Nathan ruled that the government would divide Maxwell's charges into two trials, one for perjury and the other for sex trafficking. Ghislaine Maxwell's sex trafficking trial began in Manhattan on November 15th, 2021. The prosecution was led by United States District Attorney Audrey Strauss, who claimed that between 1994 and 1997, she "assisted, facilitated, and contributed" to the abuse of girls who were minors despite knowing that one of three unnamed victims was only 14 years of age. The prosecution based their case around the testimony of 4 key witnesses, alongside others such as Epstein's long-time pilot Lawrence Visoski, who was most helpful in establishing Maxwell's and/or Epstein's whereabouts at specific points in time. In their closing statements, another Prosecutor, Laura Pomerantz, summed up the acts committed by Maxwell by stating that she "preyed on vulnerable young girls, manipulated them and served them up to be sexually abused." Ghislaine Maxwell's defense was spearheaded by the well-known defense attorney, Bobbi Sternheim, who decided to build her case by implying that her client deserves the jury's sympathy because her plight is the result of the deeds of men. Two of the most significant aspects associated with the defense were the testimony of renowned Psychology professor Elizabeth Loftus. She was called to give her expert opinion on false memory syndrome and the absence of testimony by Ghislaine Maxwell herself. "Your honor, the government has not proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt. So there is no need for me to testify," she stated in court. On December 29th, 2021, Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted by the jury on five sex trafficking-related counts, one of sex trafficking of a minor, one of transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, and three of conspiracy to commit criminal sexual activity.
