Ghislaine Maxwell Found Guilty of Sex Trafficking Charges

The first witness called to the stand by the defense is Cimberly Espinosa, Maxwell’s assistant from 1996 to 2006. According to Cimberley, at first Maxwell and Epstein “were a couple,” going on to describe how the two were “flirty” with each other at the Madison Avenue office where she worked before she transitioned into being Maxwell’s assistant. During this time, Espinosa was tasked by Epstein to send flowers to another woman behind Maxwell’s back, and it became clear the duo began dating other people. Espinosa reportedly learned a lot from Maxwell and held her former boss in high esteem. “I highly respected Ghislaine. I looked up to her very much.” Espinosa also recalled seeing “Jane” – a pseudonym used to describe the first accuser to testify against Maxwell – insisting she looked “probably 18.” According to Espinosa, she was told Jane was Epstein’s goddaughter and says, “I felt it was a loving relationship.” Espinosa denied ever seeing Maxwell or Epstein engage in inappropriate activity with underage girls.

Jane took to the stand on Tuesday November 30, 2021, descriptively and emotionally testifying to the gruesome abuse she endured beginning when she was just 14 years old. According to Jane, Epstein and Maxwell first approached her at a summer camp for the arts in Michigan, for which Epstein was a financial donor. The abuse continued until she was 16 years old. During this two-year time frame, Jane recounted an occasion in which Maxwell and Epstein undressed and fondled each other in Epstein’s bedroom, frequently guiding her to join them in orgies in the financier’s Palm Beach, New York, and New Mexico estates. “[Maxwell] touched my breasts during sexualized massages and instructed me on how to touch him. I was frozen in fear.” she recalled. 

Jane later shared with the court a separate occasion in which Maxwell took her to Victoria’s Secret to purchase “white underwear,” a few of the many times Maxwell imitated a big sister role in order to coax and manipulate younger girls. She concluded her attestation by expressing she felt “terrified and ashamed and has to carry that shame for the rest of my life.” 

Epstein’s pilot of over 20 years, Larry Visoski, testified the same day that Jane was certainly among the passengers on the financier’s private plane and remembered her “piercing blue eyes.” Other guests aboard included former U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, along with Britain’s Prince Andrew and the late Sen. John Glenn. David Rogers, another pilot working for Epstein for the same duration as Visoski, was able to pinpoint the exact date he first met Jane, says irishtimes.com. On November 11th, 1996, Epstein and the victim flew from Palm Beach, FL to Teterboro Airport in New Jersey. According to his logbook, the trio (consisting of Epstein, Maxwell, and Jane) flew from Teterboro to Epstein’s New Mexico ranch on May 9th, 1997 – the same ranch in which Jane testifies one of their sexual encounters took place. 

The above testimonies, crucial to initiating the prosecution’s case, not only confirm the direct link between Epstein and Maxwell working in tandem, but also debunk the presumption that Maxwell was not an active participant. This notion is further supported by Visoki and Rogers corroboration of Epstein and Jane’s relationship in order for her to gain occupancy on his private jet. 

During cross-examination, one of Maxwell’s defense attorneys questioned Visoski, inquiring whether or not he was aware of the age of the passengers on board. Vioski responded he was unaware Jane was underage, regurgitating a claim similar to Espinosa’s in that “she looked like a woman.”

Carolyn, the second of the four women accusers, chose to testify under her first name only. She stated she was compensated hundreds of dollars each time she engaged in a sexualized massage with Epstein. She was brought to Epstein’s Palm Beach estate when she was 14 years old in 2001. Carolyn also explained that Maxwell groped her nude body on one visit the same year, telling her that she “had a great body for Epstein and his friends.” During cross-examination, defense attorney Jeffrey Pagliuca spent a considerable amount of time suggesting Carolyn made inconsistent statements regarding her timeline. 

The third of the accusers testified under a pseudonym, “Kate.” Kate claims Maxwell introduced her to Epstein when she was 17 years old in London. She would often initiate her sexualized massages with Epstein for years during which she traveled to the US and Epstein’s island. Judge Alison Nathan ruled, being as Kate was 17, she was over the age of consent at the time of the alleged abuse therefore she will not be considered a minor victim; however, jurors are still allowed to consider her testimony.

On Friday, December 10th the fourth and last accuser chose to testify under her full name – Annie Farmer. Annie’s testimony shares distinct similarities with the three remaining victims’ stories, and she emphasized experiencing financial instability at home. Annie informed the court she was only 16 when Ghislaine Maxwell gave her a nude massage at Jeffrey Epstein’s New Mexico ranch. 

In rebuttal to the women’s testimonies the defense called Elizabeth Loftus – an expert witness on false memories – to the stand on December 16th. The strategy behind this was to not only question the accuracy of the accuser’s restatements but essentially cast doubt amongst the jury. Ms. Loftus is most known for poking holes in cases such as Ted Bundy, Robert Durst, and Harvey Weinstein. In this particular case she sought to discredit the victims credibility. “False memories … can be very vivid, detailed. People can be confident about them, people can be emotional about them, even though they’re false.” 

Maxwell’s attorneys argued that the women’s memories had been corrupted in the decades since the alleged abuse and interrogated the financial motives of the four women. As each victim who has testified to the court has received money from Epstein’s victim compensation fund the defense calls into question how accurate and reliable their testimonies can be knowing this information. 

Along with calling Ms. Loftus to the stand, Maxwell’s defense team put in a request to place the trial on hold temporarily in hopes of calling two more witnesses, a woman identified as “Kelly” who has yet to respond to subpoenas, and another witness located in England. Prosecutors argue that Ms. Maxwell’s defense already had time to plan its case and that tracking these individuals down would take time. Judge Alison J. Nathan seemed to agree given the fact that Maxwell had been in custody since the summer of 2020. “You have your witnesses, or you rest,” Judge Nathan proclaimed.