https://ift.tt/wEcZxH trial of Ghislaine Maxwell ended Monday, with prosecutors arguing that she recruited and groomed teenage girls so financier Jeffery Epstein could sexually abuse them, and her defense attorneys maintaining her innocence.
The prosecution and defense delivered closing arguments in the four-week trial of Maxwell, 59, a former Epstein associate who pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking and other crimes.
Federal prosecutors argued that Maxwell’s predation of teenage girls allowed Epstein’s abuse. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison Moe said the financier could not have abused his victims for over a decade without Maxwell’s help.
“Ghislaine Maxwell was dangerous,” Moe told the jury. She described her as the “lady of the house,” referring to her role in facilitating Epstein’s abuse at a New York mansion, a Florida estate and a New Mexico ranch.
Moe also pointed to the monetary benefits Maxwell gained from her time with Epstein, stating that she accepted over $30 million from him over the years.
“Maxwell and Epstein committed horrifying crimes,” Moe said.
Defense attorneys, however, continued to argue that Maxwell was not complicit in Epstein’s crimes, saying the prosecution failed to prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
“Ghislaine Maxwell is an innocent woman, wrongfully accused of crimes she did not commit,” said defense lawyer Laura Menninger.