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What happened this week: NPR

In this courtroom sketch, Ghislaine Maxwell sits at the defense desk while following the testimony of witnesses during her trial Tuesday in New York.

Elizabeth Williams / AP


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Elizabeth Williams / AP


In this courtroom sketch, Ghislaine Maxwell sits at the defense desk while following the testimony of witnesses during her trial Tuesday in New York.

Elizabeth Williams / AP

The first witnesses in the trial of British socialist Ghislaine Maxwell took a stand this week in a federal courtroom in Manhattan.

Maxwell, 59, is accused of recruiting girls and even engaging in sexual abuse by financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in custody in 2019. She was arrested charged with several felony counts, including trafficking in minors.

It was a case that attracted global attention, in part due to the powerful and famous men associated with Epstein.

The high-profile trial attracted media attention and curious onlookers. It has also attracted plenty of opportunists in and out of the courtroom, with those taking advantage of the moment to fight a Covid-19 vaccine, bragging about their YouTube following, or disparaging “Court of Satan”. “.

The first accuser stands on the witness stand

Both sides are tight-lipped about their witness lists. The four accusers, all adults, are expected to testify in the six-week trial. The first woman, an actress who goes by the pseudonym “Jane,” stood up on Tuesday.

Jane was emotional when she testified that the abuse by Epstein and Maxwell began when she was 14 years old. She told the court that Epstein and Maxwell first approached her at a summer camp for the arts in Michigan, where Epstein was a sponsor. The abuse continued until she was 16, Jane said, and Maxwell was often in the room when it happened. She describes feelings of fear and shame, and says she has carried that shame her whole life.

An ex-boyfriend of Jane testified Wednesday using the pseudonym “Matt”. He recalls how when they were still dating, Jane told him about a “godfather” who helped her family financially and how she said, “Matt, money isn’t free.” He also recounts a fight between Jane and her mother, in which Jane screams, “How did you think I got the money, mom?”

Epstein’s longtime pilot testified on Tuesday that Jane was one of the passengers on the tycoon’s private jet. Larry Visoski also said that other guests included former Presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, as well as Britain’s Prince Andrew and the late Senator John Glenn.

Epstein and Maxwell’s most famous accuser, Virginia Giuffre, is not expected to take a stand. Giuffre said she was just 17 years old when Epstein and Maxwell started flying around the world to have sex with politicians, royalty and billionaires. In one May 2016 is deposited, she said Maxwell ordered her to have sex with Prince Andrew and former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, among others. Andrew has publicly denied accusations and a spokesman for Richardson tell NPR that “the charges are completely untrue.”

A case of “memory, manipulation and money”

In his opening statement, Maxwell’s attorney, Bobbi Sternheim, said the case was about “memory, manipulation and money.” And the defense grilled witnesses in a cross-examination of their ability to accurately remember events that happened about 20 years ago.

Maxwell’s team has also questioned why accusers wait to be brought forward. During Jane’s cross-examination, the defense confronted Jane about having remained silent for years, hiring a personal injury attorney only when the charges against Epstein and Maxwell were being made public.

Jane replied that the delay stems from the fact that the victim is still very embarrassed to appear as a survivor of sexual abuse, adding that it is also why she chose to hide. name.

An expert witness to the prosecution, psychologist Lisa Rocchio, testified that survivors were open about their experiences when they felt safe doing so.

Maxwell silently appeared in the courtroom

Until now, people are still often absent from the defense: people talk about Maxwell a lot. Much of their cross-examination focused on Epstein.

The financier, 66, was arrested in July 2019 and held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan. He was awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking of a minor and conspiracy to traffic in sex when he found dead in his cell next month. His death is believed to be a suicide.

Epstein’s presence was ubiquitous during Maxwell’s trial, despite her pale figure sitting at the end of the defense table. Her team’s strategy so far seems to be to minimize Maxwell’s role in Epstein’s life.

However, the prosecution made the point that Maxwell was an integral part of Epstein’s life. On Thursday, a former home manager and private chauffeur at Epstein’s mansion in Palm Beach, Fla., took a stand. Juan Alessi testified that he had worked at the property for nearly a decade, and described Maxwell as “the lady of the house.” She was with Epstein 95% of the time he was there, Alessi noted. She ordered the shots in the house.

Alessi said he was also tasked with booking multiple sessions of Epstein’s massages, noting that, “It gradually went from once a day to three times.” In her testimony, Jane said that she was repeatedly asked to give Epstein sex massages and that Maxwell instructed her in what Epstein liked.

During the cross-examination, the defense asked Alessi if he had ever seen signs of anyone being raped or injured during these massages. Has anyone ever asked him for help or told him they were miserable? “No, they never did,” he replied. “But I wish they would because I did something to stop it.”

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