Opening statements in a long-awaited Glislaine Maxwell trial that is expected to last six weeks begins Monday, Nov. 29. Four, now-grown, women will take the stand and testify against Maxwell, prosecutors have said, about being sexually abused as children.
Maxwell faces six criminal charges related to the alleged sex trafficking of minors.
Key Point: One of the most important data points on Jeffrey Epstein is his public flight logs on his private jet, The Lolita Express. There are hundreds of flights. Flights to the Virgin Island, to obscure African countries, parts of Asia most couldn’t find on a map and high-class ranking countries in Europe. The most interesting part of the entire Lolita Express flight tracker are the guests who trotted the globe with Epstein and his associate Maxwell.
U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan of the Southern District of New York has limited the scope of federal prosecutors by focusing the case against the British socialite-turned-suspect specifically on allegations that she helped Epstein recruit and abuse four underage girls mostly in the 1990s.
“This is going to be a narrow slice of what happened,” said civil attorney Dan Kaiser, who represents several alleged Epstein victims though none involved in this particular trial. “This is a ring that ensnared dozens and dozens and dozens of girls. And Maxwell was an integral player. You could say she was Epstein’s chief operating officer.”
The news came out in The Sun that a witness claimed to the media “Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein were spies who used underage sex to blackmail politicians, ‘ex-handler’ claims”
Out of the trial is expected some answers to questions about the sexual behavior of many high-ranking world leaders, including former Presidents, including whether or not they were being blackmailed.
A press release for the series details the depth of reporting: “Ward reveals how this story began, exposing the mystery behind Epstein’s wealth and influence and how Maxwell’s alleged role within this conspiracy threatens a shadowy cabal of international elite and world leaders who might do anything to keep their identities — and motives — hidden.” As Ward says of Epstein and Maxwell in the trailer, “They were trying to blackmail powerful people … The network of guys who enabled these sex crimes that endures … Ghislaine really could be the key to this shadowy web.” The trailer also shows a pained Jennifer Araoz, who says she was raped by Epstein when she was just 15. Her lawyer says, “This couldn’t have happened without Ghislaine Maxwell.” (Araoz has sued Epstein’s estate and Maxwell in a separate suit, saying that Maxwell “oversaw” the billionaire’s “process.”) The trailer promises that the series will reveal more chilling details about Maxwell’s role in Epstein’s sick world. “As early as 1992, I was hearing stories that Ghislaine was introducing Jeffrey to high school girls,” said one person interviewed for the doc. Another added, “Ghislaine was the power geisha orchestrating everything for Epstein’s maximum delight.”
Watch the trailer: