As the first week of proceedings in Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex trafficking trial in New York came to a close, prosecutors brought in one of paedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s green massage tables to show jurors.
The 59-year-old socialite is accused of grooming adolescent females for sexual assault by the late Epstein. She has pleaded not guilty to all of the counts, which date back to 1994.
During the first week of the trial, some of the claimed victims of Epstein and Ms. Maxwell gave heartbreaking testimony. However, there were also allegations that Ms. Maxwell was being singled out because Mr. Epstein, whose death in prison was declared a suicide, could no longer stand trial.
Since her arrest last year, Ms. Maxwell, who holds British, American, and French citizenship, has been held in a US jail. If convicted, she may face up to 80 years in prison.
Prosecutor Lara Pomerantz described Ms. Maxwell as a predator who sought and groomed underage girls for her long-term partner, Epstein, to abuse in her opening statement on Monday.
The trial’s first witness, Larry Visoski, Epstein’s long-time personal pilot, told the court on Tuesday that he flew VIPs to luxurious places all over the world.
Mr. Visoski mentioned Prince Andrew, Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump as those he had flown with. They haven’t been charged with any criminal activity.
The first of four Maxwell accusers to testify wept as she detailed being sexually abused by Epstein when she was 14 years old.
Under the alias Jane, Ms. Maxwell showed her how Epstein liked to be massaged and even took part in their sexual experiences.
A green massage table confiscated from Jeffrey Epstein’s Palm Beach residence during a 2005 police search was later exhibited to jurors.
Epstein allegedly used massages as a ruse before expanding his contacts with underage girls, according to prosecutors.
Officers discovered a range of sexualized photographs at Epstein’s residence, according to Michael Dawson, a detective who participated in the 2005 search. Prosecutors also showed a photo of a box labelled “Twin Torpedos” that Mr. Dawson claimed was taken from an upstairs cabinet and contained sex toys.
