Trial of Ghislaine Maxwell enters its first week of many

Viral court case highlights many A-list celebrities 

COLIN MULLANEY / ASST. NEWS EDITOR / THE USD VISTA

In the midst of the summer of 2020, the FBI conducted a raid on a secluded New Hampshire property that resulted in the apprehension of British publishing heiress, socialite, and alleged child predator, Ghislaine Maxwell. Purchased entirely in cash with round-the-clock security, Maxwell’s New Hampshire estate was her bunker during the fallout of businessman and ex-boyfriend Jeffery Epstein’s arrest and subsequent death in 2019. Almost a year after Epstein’s arrest, Maxwell too was arrested on six counts, including “transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity” and perjury. In victims’ accounts and public statements, Maxwell is depicted as not only Epstein’s enabler, but wholly complicit in the crimes he committed against them: Epstein’s co-conspirator. 

With her trial beginning on Nov. 29, Maxwell is accused of grooming vulnerable, underaged girls and coercing them into illegal sexual activities with Epstein at his many private residences in New York, New Mexico, Florida, the U.S Virgin Islands, and aboard his private jet, though Maxwell denies having committed any crimes. In the indictment read following Maxwell’s arrest, Acting U.S Attorney Audrey Strauss stated, “she pretended to be a woman they could trust. All the while she was setting them up to be sexually abused by Epstein and in some cases, by Maxwell herself.” Allegedly, Maxwell often posed as a modeling scout, handed out business cards to girls at local malls, and pressured victims to accept large cash gifts and “scholarships” following illegal acts committed by Epstein. If convicted, 58-year-old Maxwell could face up to 70 years in prison. 

In the first week of her trial, Maxwell’s defense team compared her “to Eve (as in Adam and Eve), saying that women have always been blamed throughout history more than men” that Maxwell is being scapegoated for Epstein’s crimes, according to Mairead Elordi, an investigative reporter for The Daily Wire. The defense team also tried to distance Maxwell from Epstein, reminding the jury, “you are not here to judge Epstein. You are here to determine if Ghislaine Maxwell committed these crimes.”

Furthermore, Maxwell’s lawyer, Bobbi Sternheim, “accused Maxwell’s accusers of being after money… of having false memories, or contaminated memories,” according to Elordi. However, NPR reported that “an expert witness for the prosecution, psychologist Lisa Rocchio, testified that ‘survivors open up about their experiences when they feel safe doing so,’” and that the accusers’ memories likely had not been significantly altered by the passage of time since Epstein’s abuse.

Judge Alison J. Nathan granted a motion to conceal parts of the case, citing a “craving for that which is sensational and impure.” Since news of Epstein’s arrest and wrongdoings began to emerge in the national media in 2019, the case gained significant attention due to Epstein’s personal connections to the wealthy and powerful. Bill and Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Bill Gates, the British royal family, among many others are frequently mentioned in association with Epstein and Maxwell.

Former President Donald Trump responded to allegations that he had any connection to Epstein, stating, “I had a falling out with [Epstein] a long time ago. I don’t think I’ve spoken to him in fifteen years. I was not a fan of his, that I can tell you. I was not a fan of his.” Trump banned Epstein from his Mar-A-Lago estate in 2008, following allegations that Epstein had made inappropriate comments and advances toward another club member’s daughter. The Clintons have also distanced themselves from Epstein and Maxwell since 2011, though Bill Clinton invited Maxwell to a private dinner with staffers as recently as 2014. 

Jeffrey Epstein’s arrest and subsequent death in custody made headlines in 2019, not only because of the high-profile nature of his connections, but also the questionable circumstances surrounding his death. Although Epstein’s official cause of death was ruled a suicide, anomalies in his autopsy report, including a fractured hyoid bone – common among victims of homicide more often than suicide – led some to dispute the official medical examiner’s findings; an independent review by renowned forensic pathologist Michael Baden claimed that Epstein was likely murdered via strangulation. Further inconsistencies regarding the night of Epstein’s death at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York, such as defective security cameras outside of his cell, only fueled speculation.

The phrase, “Epstein didn’t kill himself” entered into common vernacular, much like the saying “jet fuel can’t melt steel beams,” as the latest accusation of conspiracy and collusion on the part of self-interested, shadowy elites. However, these sentiments that Epstein could have been murdered were not limited to popular meme culture; in 2019, then-Attorney General William Barr opened up a Department of Justice investigation citing, “serious irregularities.” 

Regardless of Epstein’s fate, Maxwell has been detained in a different facility in Brooklyn to the one where Epstein was held. Her trial, happening in Federal court, will feature no cameras, live streams, or photos and is expected to last up to six weeks. Some have come to view Maxwell’s trial as justice for Epstein’s victims, who were never properly answered to, while others have come to see her trial as a referendum on the justice system and its ability to hold wealthy citizens accountable: whether elites are subject to the same laws that govern the everyday person. However, the jury in Maxwell’s trial was warned “not to be biased against affluence and opulence” in their determination of Maxwell’s guilt or innocence, only to consider the relevant facts to the case.