Content warning: This article contains graphic descriptions of child abuse and sexual assault, which may be triggering to some readers.
British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell’s relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has come under scrutiny in court, as she faces charges including sex trafficking of minors.
Ms Maxwell has been on trial over accusations of helping Epstein recruit and sexually abuse four underage girls, to which she has pleaded guily to.
As the trial reaches its seventh day of proceedings, three of the four women have testified against the 59-year-old former girlfriend of Epstein.
She has consistently denied playing a role in the series of sexual assaults Epstein has been accused and charged for, with her legal team echoing her claims.
Ms Maxwell’s lawyers have said her accusers’ memories have been corrupted over time, with lawyer Bobbi C. Sternheim telling the court that she is being treated as “a scapegoat for a man who behaved badly”.
Image: US District Attorney’s Office
However, a document presented before the court on Tuesday has provided a conflicting view of the relationship between them.
An FBI digital forensic examiner shared details of the document, which was created by a user called ‘GMax’ on a computer seized by the agency from Epstein’s New York mansion in 2019.
The author of the document wasn’t revealed.
“Jeffrey and Ghislaine have been together as a couple for the last 11 years,” the document read.
“They are, contrary to what people think, rarely apart, I almost always see them together.
“Jeffrey and Ghislaine share many mutual interests and they have a lot of fun together,” it continued, adding that “they compliment each other really well”.
“On top of being partner’s (sic) they are also best of friends.”
Never-before-seen photos were also presented to the court, with some showing Ms Maxwell massaging Epstein’s feet. Others showed the pair embracing and kissing in various locations that were often exotic.
Image: US District Attorney’s Office
The images were also seized during the 2019 raid.
Prosecutors are expected to call a fourth woman to testify against Ms Maxwell, before wrapping up their case two weeks ahead of schedule.
They allege Ms Maxwell played a part in procuring girls and young women for Epstein, the multimillionaire financier who had ties to billionaire Leslie Wexner, Donald Trump and Prince Andrew.
No allegations of trafficking have been made against Mr Trump or Mr Wexner.
Virginia Giuffre, another woman alleging she was trafficked and abused by Epstein and Ms Maxwell, has alleged she was trafficked to Prince Andrew when she was 17.
She is not expected to appear in Ms Maxwell’s trial.
The first two women to testify, known by the pseudonyms Jane and Kate, testified that they had been aspiring entertainers when they were approached by Maxwell, who told them Epstein could help them advance their careers.
Image: US District Attorney’s Office
Jane said she was first abused by Epstein during the mid-1990s when she was 14, and that Ms Maxwell trained her in how to sexually satisfy Epstein.
She also testified that Epstein personally drove her to meet Mr Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort.
David Rodgers, one of Epstein’s pilots, also testified, telling the court he had seen Jane on at least four flights.
“She’s flown with Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and other people as well,” Mr Rodgers said.
The second woman to testify, Kate, said she was first abused when she was 17 and was lured into giving Epstein sexual massages.
On Tuesday, a woman identified as Carolyn testified that she was a minor when she began having sex with Epstein. She also said Ms Maxwell touched her once while she was preparing to massage Epstein.
“I was fully nude and [Maxwell] came in and she felt my boobs and my hips and my buttocks and said that … I had a great body for Mr Epstein and his friends,” Carolyn told the court.
While under cross-examination by Ms Maxwell’s lawyer Jeffrey Pagliuca, she was asked whether there was an “incentive for you to stick to your story” after she reached a $USD 3.25 million settlement with a fund to compensate Epstein’s victims, mentioning Ms Maxwell in her claim.
“Money will not ever fix what that woman has done to me,” Carolyn said, sobbing.
Image: Getty Images
