Jury deliberations resume in Ghislaine Maxwell case

Jury deliberations in the trial of Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell resumed on Monday, with the jury signaling it was not yet close to reaching a verdict.

Reconvening after the holiday weekend, the Manhattan jury requested transcripts of some trial testimony, as well as the definition of “incitement,” The Associated Press reported. Maxwell faces six felony charges and is accused of sex trafficking underage girls for deceased billionaire Jeffrey Epstein.

Judge Alison J. Nathan paused deliberations Wednesday for the holidays. Before breaking, the jurors had requested additional information on several Epstein accusers. They also requested information on Epstein’s housekeeper, Juan Patricio Alessi, who told the court he saw two underage girls visit the dead financier’s Florida estate on multiple occasions.

Throughout the trial, prosecutors have accused Maxwell of being central to Epstein’s sex-trafficking racket, saying she was his “partner in crime” and groomed the young girls, causing “deep and lasting harm.” Maxwell refused to testify in the trial, telling Nathan that prosecutors have “not proven the case beyond a reasonable doubt and so there is no need for me to testify.”

Maxwell’s attorneys have in turn argued that the memories of the accusers have been compromised by time and lawyers manipulating them for cash payments from Epstein’s estate. They have also accused the government of trying to use Maxwell as a scapegoat since Epstein is no longer alive to stand trial himself.