Will Ghislaine Maxwell 'start naming names' to get a shorter sentence? Epstein's predatory madam faces prospect of dying in jail with 65-year-sentence - and may try to wrangle a plea by revealing all her secrets
Ghislaine Maxwell could now start naming names to get a shorter prison sentence after the British socialite was found guilty of sex trafficking schoolgirls for her and her pedophile boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein to abuse.
Maxwell is facing up to 65 years behind bars after jurors declared her a child sex predator, and was seen speaking to a producer for ABC News in the courtroom in New York on Tuesday, one day before her conviction yesterday.
The long prison sentence faced by Maxwell gives her ample motivation to 'flip' and discuss the actions of others within Epstein's circle. Epstein himself took his own life in jail in New York in August 2019 while awaiting trial.
His victims have been calling for others Epstein associated with to be held account, and have pointed out that the disgraced pedophile financier, who died aged 66, counted a plethora of famous faces among his friends.
Maxwell could now be willing to implicate others, in order to reduce her sentence. Her family said they were 'very disappointed' with the verdict and had already begun the appeal process with the belief she will be 'vindicated'.
Her family lawyer, Leah Saffian, who has been a regular in the courtroom sat with her relatives, was spotted by The Miami Herald on Tuesday beckoning over James Hill, a producer for ABC News, to introduce him to Maxwell.
Maxwell smiled and appeared to introduce herself to Mr Hill and was heard to say that she was willing to speak to the media, the newspaper reported - before a US Marshal told the journalist to return to his seat.
The 60-year-old's legal team are also already working on an appeal – but the guilty verdicts will intensify the pressure on Maxwell's friend Prince Andrew to speak to US prosecutors about his time with Epstein.
The jury took just over 40 hours to find Maxwell guilty on five of six charges. One of the charges she was guilty of related to Andrew's own accuser Virginia Roberts, now known as Virginia Giuffre, suggesting jurors may have believed she was a sex trafficking victim too. She is suing the duke for alleged rape, which he strenuously denies.
Miss Giuffre said she had 'lived with the horrors of Maxwell's abuse' and commended the four women who testified against Maxwell. And Lisa Bloom, a lawyer for some of Epstein's accusers, said she expected Maxwell to spend the rest of her life behind bars, adding: 'She has been lucky to have 60 years of freedom, it is far too much.'
Among those suggesting Maxwell could now 'sing like a canary' to get a reduced sentence was Piers Morgan, who warned that many powerful figures might become anxious if she decides to expose accomplices of Epstein.
He tweeted: 'Will vile sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell now sing like a canary to avoid spending the rest of her life in prison? If she does, there could be a lot of rich, powerful & famous people sweating tonight... and not sweating.'
And Walt Disney's great niece and filmmaker Abigail Disney said in a tweet: 'Ghislaine, if you want any redemption at all, I hope you will give up some names, because those fu**ers should not be able to hide any longer.'
Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greeney, a Donald Trump ally, added: 'Jeffrey Epstein's entire network should be made public and his fortune should go to his victims.' And fellow Republican Representative Lauren Boebert said the public 'deserves to know every single person involved in the Epstein sex trafficking network'.
Maxwell was convicted after six days of deliberation by a jury of six men and six women. They found her guilty on five of six counts - all except enticing an individual aged under 17 to travel with intent to engage in illegal sex acts.
After the verdicts, Maxwell simply poured herself a glass of water and leaned into her lawyer, Jeffrey Pagliuca, who put an arm around her. Her sister Isabel sat behind her with her head bowed, while siblings Kevin and Christine stared into space. Maxwell was led out of court by two female US Marshals, barely looking back to see her family.
The siblings later said in a defiant statement: 'We believe firmly in our sister's innocence. We are very disappointed with the verdict. We have already started the appeal tonight and we believe that she will ultimately be vindicated.'
Ghislaine Maxwell gives Jeffrey Epstein a foot massage on his private jet dubbed the 'Lolita Express'. The photo was entered into evideince on December 7 by the US Attorney's Office
A courtroom sketch shows Ghislaine Maxwell sitting as the guilty verdict in her sex abuse trial is read in New York yesterday
US marshalls escort Ghislaine Maxwell from the courtroom after she was found guilty in New York City yesterday
Maxwell's lawyer Bobbi Sternheim speaks during a press conference after the guilty verdict in New York yesterday
An infamous photo of Virginia Roberts, Prince Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell, taken at Maxwell's home in London's Belgravia
Maxwell was known to have been close to Prince Andrew, the second son of the Queen, and Andrew's cooperation with US prosecutors has long been sought. The Duke has vehemently denied having sex with Miss Giuffre.
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In further news of concern to the prince, judges in New York yesterday ruled that a 2009 settlement agreement between Epstein and Miss Giuffre, which bears directly on her civil lawsuit accusing Andrew of sexual abuse, will be made public early next week.
Another high profile friend of Epstein and Maxwell's was Bill Clinton, with Maxwell attending the wedding of his daughter Chelsea.
Epstein visited the White House at least 17 times during the former president's first few years in office, seeing Mr Clinton at the Executive Mansion over the course of three years - with the first invitation coming just a month after his inauguration in January 1993.
The logs show the late financier showed up on 14 separate days, even making two visits in a single day on three different occasions.
Mr Clinton flew on Epstein's private jets at least 26 times, logs show.
Another frequent passenger was Donald Trump - whose Mar-a-Lago estate was close to Epstein's own Palm Beach property.
Mr Trump flew at least seven times on Epstein's private Lolita Express jet - six more times than was previously known, documents released at Maxwell's trial revealed.
The former president travelled on the plane four times in 1993, once in 1994 and once in 1995 with his ex-wife Marla Marples and children Tiffany and Eric, flight logs show.
It was previously reported that Mr Trump had flown on Epstein's plane from Palm Beach, where both had homes, to Newark, in 1997.
Epstein is also said to have flown on one of Mr Trump's private planes. Mr Trump and Epstein knew each other in the 1990s when they were both New York City playboys and successful entrepreneurs.
Maxwell leaves the courtroom in New York yesterday flanked by two security guards, as shown in this court artist's sketch
Maxwell, who is pictured giving Epstein a foot massage, could now be willing to implicate others, to reduce her sentence
Maxwell's siblings Kevin, Christine and Isabel walked out of court in New York yesterday and declined to speak to reporters
Maxwell's defense team Jeffery Pagliuca and Laura Menninger are seen leaving court in New York after yesterday's verdictsMr Trump has said he and Epstein fell out, and in 2019 the then-president said he had not spoken to Epstein in 15 years.
Neither Mr Trump nor Mr Clinton have been linked to any of Epstein's sex-trafficking crimes.
Other passengers on the jets included Bill Richardson, the former governor of New Mexico, and lawyer Alan Dershowitz - both of whom have strongly denied accusations of wrongdoing.
Maxwell may also discuss Epstein's baffling relationship with Les Wexner, the billionaire Ohio-based founder of L Brands, which includes Victoria's Secret.
Mr Wexner gave Epstein power of attorney over all his legal and financial matters, meaning he had the power to buy and sell property, borrow money on Mr Wexner's behalf, hire people, sign checks and more.
There are no allegations that Mr Wexner was involved in illegal activity.
Mr Wexner, 84, has never been accused of being anything more than Epstein's principal benefactor.
Shortly before Epstein's death he claimed the pedophile had 'misappropriated vast sums of money' from him and his family.
Accuser 'Jane' (as shown in a courtroom sketch on November 30) detailed how Epstein would have her 'straddle his face'
Maxwell has until now remained tight-lipped about Epstein's connections, insisting that she had no awareness of his abusive activities. A sentencing date has not been set.
As Judge Alison Nathan read out the verdict, Maxwell remained seated and did not appear to react. She calmly opened a bottle of water and poured herself a glass.
Her lawyer Jeff Pagliuca sat next to her, put his arm around her and gave her a hug and she leaned into his shoulder.
In the public gallery sat her siblings Isabel, Christine and Kevin: only Isabel appeared to react and hang her head as the verdicts were read out.
Maxwell walked out of court flanked by two security guards. She walked out of court without being handcuffed or shackled but her confident swagger was gone, replaced by a slower walk with her head down as she exited through a door at the back of the room which led to the cells.
She managed one look back and walked out with her head held down. In the elevator Maxwell's lawyer and close friend Leah Saffian appeared red eyed and distraught.
Maxwell's lawyer Bobbi Sternheim asked if it was possible for Maxwell to get her booster shot to protect her from Covid-19.
Judge Nathan said it was 'available' at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn, where she is being held, and that she would 'look into it'.
Judge Nathan said the decision was 'unanimous' and asked each juror to confirm that it was correct by passing around a microphone.
Maxwell and Epstein are seen visiting then-president Bill Clinton in the White House in Washington DC in 1993
Donald Trump with his then-girlfriend, Melania, and Epstein and Maxwell in February 2000, at Mar-a-Lago in Florida
Epstein is seen with Alan Dershowitz, one of America's best-known legal experts
Maxwell, Naomi Campbell, Donald Trump and Melania Knauss in November 2002 at a Dolce and Gabbana show in New York
Each answered that yes it was - and one male juror was seen rubbing his eyes and forehead. Maxwell is expected to be placed on suicide watch in jail after jurors agreed she was Epstein's 'partner in horrific crimes'.
She masterminded a sick scheme to round up schoolgirls on an industrial scale for them and their friends to molest.
Maxwell's siblings Kevin, Christine and Isabel walked out of court and declined to comment to reporters.
Christine and Isabel walked arm in arm and later Kevin took Christine's arm and they quietly walked to the nearby office they have been renting.
It was a sensational month-long trial filled with tearful testimony, a trove of never-before-seen photos submitted into evidence, and shocking claims that the British socialite was a 'sophisticated predator.'
The daughter of the late tycoon Robert Maxwell, who rubbed shoulders with two US presidents, a pope and a host of global A-listers, was utterly deserted by all her VIP friends, including the Duke of York, during her four-week trial for sex trafficking vulnerable teenagers.
The jury unanimously believed four women who gave chilling testimonies of being 'served up' as children for sexual abuse by Maxwell to her financier lover.
After the verdicts were handed out, victims of Epstein, who is said to have abused hundreds of girls and young women, rejoiced.
Accuser Annie Farmer, who testified she was 16 when she was lured into a terrifying sex trap by Maxwell, was 'sobbing with joy' last night, said her sister Maria.
She added: 'We are proud of one another. I have spent every moment for seven years, working towards this verdict.
'No pay, just due diligence. I never gave up. This is the best thing I have ever had happen in my life. It means I don't have to hide.'
Before yesterday's verdict, the jury asked for the transcripts of 14 witnesses: there were 33 in total for the defense and prosecution.
The prosecution brought in pictures found in Epstein's mansion in a bid to show that Maxwell and Epstein had been in a relationship
This photo of Jeffrey Epstein in front of one of his private planes was submitted into evidence during the trial of Maxwell
One of the pictures showed Epstein and Maxwell in a vacation picture in Europe. The prosecution established the close relationship between the pair - that went far beyond business
They asked for the evidence from Shawn, the boyfriend of the accuser Carolyn; Cimberly Espinoza, Maxwell's personal assistant at Epstein's New York office, and the defense 'false memory' expert Elizabeth Loftus.
The jury also asked for testimony from FBI agents Amanda Young and Jason Richards, the lead agents in the 2019 investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, and testimony from Larry Visoski, Epstein's other pilot.
Ghislaine Maxwell will be on suicide watch in jail: Experts say she could end up in Connecticut federal prison that will be like 'Disneyland compared to her current gig' but awaits sentencing in Brooklyn's notorious MDC
Ghislaine Maxwell is expected to be placed on suicide watch at the notorious Brooklyn jail where she is being held as she faces the grim prospect of spending the rest of her life behind bars.
But prison experts say that she will feel like she is in 'Disneyland' if she is ordered to serve out her sentence at a federal jail in Connecticut after spending the last 17 months at the infamous Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
It is unclear in which of the 29 facilities housing female federal prisoners she will serve her sentence, which could be up to 65 years.
Maxwell is currently being held at the MDC in Brooklyn, in conditions which her lawyers and family say amount to torture
Her lawyers will submit a prison preference during preparation of her pre-sentencing report, and one expert told DailyMail.com they thought she could opt for Danbury prison, in Connecticut - where previous inmates have included singer Lauryn Hill, reality TV star Teresa Giudice, and Piper Kerman, author of Orange is the New Black.
A date for her sentencing has not been set, and on Wednesday night she was returned to her cell at the infamous Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where she has been held since July 2020.
She complained about the prison and her family even launched an appeal to the United Nations over her 'inhumane treatment.'
A visiting area inside the MDC is pictured
Justin Paperny, a federal prison consultant, said that wherever she ends up next, it will mark the beginning of a significantly improved phase in her incarceration.
'Her prison life won't dramatically improve until she is sentenced,' Paperny told DailyMail.com. 'She's enduring a difficult situation in Brooklyn. It's a very difficult place to serve time.'
Another prison expert told The Times her new situation would be 'like Disneyland' by comparison.
Paperny said the MDC had been infamous long before Maxwell set foot there.
A room inside the MDC, which is used for medical examinations
In the winter of 2019, the power and heating failed, leading to outrage among relatives of 1,636 male and female inmates, and among activists.
A scathing report into conditions inside the jail commissioned in the aftermath was suppressed by the Bureau of Prisons until July this year, and the jail was described as violent, filthy, overcrowded and decrepit.
Paperny said the difference between the MDC and her post-sentencing prison will be stark. 'Once she reaches prison she'll feel like she's won the lottery,' he said. 'She will be able to walk to the library, able to walk to the exercise track, able to make phone calls.'
He said she may be able to use the internet, but that was up to the warden, and there may be access to television and films.
On Tuesday, Judge Alison Nathan said that if a verdict was not reached by the end of Wednesday she would tell the jury it would have to sit on the weekend until reaching a verdict.
Judge Nathan had planned to sit only until Wednesday and then let the jurors off for the holiday, but the Omicron variant has thwarted those plans.
She said that the rising number of Omicron cases was 'putting at risk our ability to complete this trial.'
The jurors said they were 'moving along' and that they are making progress in the case but they failed to reach a verdict on the fifth day of deliberations.
But at 4.50pm on Wednesday, day 18 of the trial and after 40 hours of deliberations - the jury reached a verdict.
The atmosphere in courtroom 318 became tense and journalists who had covered the whole case hugged each other.
Two reporters ran out to report that a verdict had been reached. Four additional US Marshals arrived and stood at the back of the court.
Two court security officers stood guard in the public gallery as Maxwell walked into the room wearing a purple turtle neck and black pants.
She sat next to her lawyer Jeff Pagliuca and her other attorneys, Christian Everdell, Laura Menninger and Bobbi Sternheim, sat at her table.
Three of the four prosecutors who brought the case, Assistant US Attorneys Lara Pomerantz, Alison Moe and Andrew Rohrbach, sat at the prosecution bench.
Maurene Comey, the daughter of former FBI director James Comey, who also prosecuted the case, was not present and has not been in court this week.
Judge Alison Nathan came into court and announced: 'We have a verdict'. The court fell silent as the judge asked for the jury to be brought in.
Judge Nathan said: 'I will direct everyone to remain seated and be quiet and calm during the reading of the verdict. Anyone who is disruptive will be removed'.
On the bench behind Maxwell's siblings was Assistant US Attorney Alex Rossmiller, who helped prosecute the case, and FBI special agent Amanda Young, the lead agent in the 2019 investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
The jury walked into court and sat in the jury box and the additional area reserved for the unvaccinated. None of them showed any visible emotion.
Judge Nathan was handed an envelope by one of the court staff and asked the foreperson if they had reached a verdict.
She said in a clear voice that they had. The judge announced she was going to read it out and did so.
Judge Nathan asked if there was any reason why the jury should not be discharged and neither the prosecution or the defense said they had any, so they were released.
Judge Nathan thanked them for their 'time and for your service' and they walked out.
The judge asked if both parties wanted a pre-sentence report commissioned and they said yes.
From the beginning of the trial that kicked off on November 29, Maxwell remained relaxed and confident, giving hugs to her lawyers or waving to her sister Isabel in the public gallery.
She wore a series of turtleneck sweaters and was noticeably tactile with her attorneys, often putting her arm around them in a gesture they reciprocated.
Maxwell barely reacted when her accusers took the stand to testify of the horrific abuse at the hands of her and Jeffrey Epstein.
Epstein's pilots Larry Visoski and Dave Rodgers told the court that in the 30 years they flew Epstein on his private planes, including the Boeing 727 known as the 'Lolita Express', they never saw him engage in sexual activity of any kind.
But both men said that the door to the passenger cabin was closed at all times.
In an eye-popping moment Visoski was asked if thought that the accuser called Jane was over 18 because he told the FBI she had 'large breasts'. He appeared embarrassed and claimed she looked like a mature young woman.
Visoski confirmed that famous men like Prince Andrew and Bill Clinton flew while he was piloting Epstein's planes, the first of a number of times that they were brought up.
The accuser called Jane testified that she was introduced to Donald Trump by Epstein when she was 14 years old.
Visoski said that he recalled flying Kevin Spacey, Chris Tucker and Clinton on a trip to Africa in 2002. But overall there were fewer mentions of the powerful men than had been anticipated during the trial, with the focus staying on the four accusers.
MAXWELL'S ACCUSERS
Maxwell's first accuser known by the pseudonym 'Jane' took the stand to testify that she was 14 years old when she first had 'sexual contact' with Jeffrey Epstein.
The woman said Ghislaine Maxwell was in the room during the alleged abuse. Wearing a gray wrap-around sweater, a black dress and black boots, she pushed back her jet black hair and took off her mask after the judge reassured her that the sketch artists could not draw her likeness.
She detailed to prosecutor Alison Moe how Epstein would have her 'straddle his face', 'pinch his nipples' and described the first sexual encounter that took place in 1994 when he took her into a pool house and 'proceeded to masturbate on me.'
Four of Maxwell's siblings - Kevin, Christine, Isabel and Ian and - arrived to court to support their sister on December 20
Jane said Epstein was talking to her about 'what I wanted to do' with her life and said that she had to choose between being an opera singer or an actress or a model. She recalled: 'He said I know everybody, I know agents, photographers, I can make things happen but you have to be ready for it.
BBC is slammed after guest pundit Alan Dershowitz claimed Maxwell guilty verdict 'weakens' Virginia Giuffre's case against Prince Andrew without reminding viewers HE represented Jeffrey Epstein and is also accused of sexual assault by HER
The New York sex abuse case against Prince Andrew was weakened because prosecutors in the Ghislaine Maxwell trial failed to call his accuser as a witness, it was claimed last night.
Jeffrey Epstein's former lawyer Alan Dershowitz insisted the fact the Maxwell jury didn't hear from Virginia Giuffre was because the authorities don't believe she is telling the truth.
But critics pointed out Mr Dershowitz is also accused of sexual abuse by Ms Roberts, said that taints his opinion on the case and slammed the BBC for interviewing him on the subject without giving any context.
The BBC labelled Alan Dershowitz a 'lawyer' without saying he represented Jeffrey Epstein and is also accused by Virginia Giuffre
And royal experts said there was 'no way back' for Andrew's reputation now the Maxwell verdicts are in regardless of the outcome of the case against him.
Prince Andrew and Alan Dershowitz both deny all the allegations against them.
Mr Dershowitz, 83, who was formerly Jeffrey Epstein's lawyer, told the BBC he thought the case against Andrew was 'weakened considerably' after the Maxwell trial.
'I think the most important thing for British viewers is that the Government was very careful as to who it used as witnesses,' he said.
'It did not use as a witness the woman who accused Prince Andrew, who accused me, who accused many other people, because the Government did not believe that she was telling the truth.
'And in fact that she, Virginia Giuffre, was mentioned in the trial as someone who brought young people to Epstein for him to abuse.
'So this case does not do anything at all in any way to strengthen the case against Prince Andrew.
'In fact it weakens the case against Prince Andrew considerably because the government was very selective in who it used.
'It used only witnesses it believed were credible and they deliberately did not use the main witness, the woman who started the whole investigation, Virginia Giuffre because ultimately it did not believe that she was telling the truth.
'They didn't believe that a jury would believe her and they were right in doing so, so it was very smart on behalf of the government.'
The fact Mr Dershowitz was introduced on to the BBC News Channel as a 'constitutional lawyer', with no mention of his involvement in the case, drew condemnation last night. His claims about Ms Giuffre were not challenged by the interviewer.
Adam Wagner, a human rights barrister, said that the interview represented a 'huge error by the BBC'.
However royal experts said that Prince Andrew's reputation was 'a busted flush' regardless of what transpires in the case against him, because of his friendship with billionaire pedophile Epstein and now-convicted sex trafficker Maxwell.
The jury's confirmation that Maxwell was the willing accomplice for the late Epstein will serve to place Andrew beyond the pale for his elder brother Prince Charles, who already saw him as a liability for the Royal Family.
The Duke of York's lawyers will try to have the civil lawsuit brought by his accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre thrown out of court early next month.
But last night's result will make that much more difficult.
And royal observers believe that even a victory for Andrew at that stage – or at a full trial expected in the Autumn – would still not be enough to remove the stigma attached to his name over his friendship with Epstein.
And the sensational verdict in Maxwell's case will have done nothing to bolster confidence in Andrew's camp at having Ms Giuffre's lawsuit dismissed.
'He's a busted flush,' one seasoned royal expert told MailOnline. 'Unfortunately for Andrew, it's no longer so much about evidence and proof, or what if anything went on with Virginia Giuffre -- it's all about public perception.
'Andrew's handling of this whole affair, coupled with his car crash Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis, have made him into a toxic brand for the rest of the Royal Family.
'Only the Queen, who has always considered him as her favourite, remains loyal, while the other Royals are keen to keep him at arm's length.'
'The conversation ended abruptly, we were in his office, and he said follow me'.
They went outside to the pool house and Epstein sat on a couch to the right hand side.
'He pulled his pants down, he pulled me on top of himself and he proceeded to masturbate on me. Then he just got up and went into the bathroom and cleaned himself up and acted as if nothing had happened.' she said.
'I was frozen in fear. I had never seen a penis before let alone something like this. I was terrified and I felt gross. I felt ashamed'.
Despite this she continued spending time with Epstein and Maxwell and shortly after, she had her first sexual encounter with Maxwell.
Epstein and Maxwell were talking when 'all of a sudden they said follow me' and led her to Epstein's bedroom in his Palm Beach home.
'They came into the bedroom and took their clothes off. They started sort of fondling each other and kind of casually giggling,' Jane said. 'I was just standing there and he asked me to take my top off and then their hands [were] everywhere and Jeffrey proceeded to masturbate and Ghislaine was rubbing him and kissing him and fondling.'
Jane said Maxwell was 'very casual' about the encounter and acted 'like this was entirely normal. I was confused. When you are 14 you have no idea what is going on.'
The prosecutor asked, 'Did Maxwell touch your body?'
'Yes,' Jane replied, saying the sexual abuse happened 'every time I visited his house'.
When asked if Epstein touched her, Jane replied, 'Yes. Everywhere.'
The woman spoke in a strong, deep, voice that only faltered when she was describing in graphic detail the sex acts Epstein and Maxwell allegedly did to her.
Maxwell did not appear to react to any of the woman's testimony, including when Jane pointed her out in court to identify her.
At the end of the first week of the prosecution's case there was the most visually dramatic moment of the trial when one of Epstein's massage tables was brought into court.
The exhibit, seized from his Palm Beach home in a raid in 2005, was a green leather foldout table that a detective brought into court and unfolded for the jury.
The table is the exact one that Epstein allegedly abused dozens of underage girls and the court fell silent as it was revealed. A few feet away Maxwell looked on while the jury appeared highly attentive.
Juan Alessi, Epstein's former house manager in Palm Beach, was a vital witness for the prosecution.
He claimed that Maxwell helped book Epstein's 'massages', asked him to drive them around and travelled on Epstein's plane with them.
Alessi put Maxwell at the absolute center of Epstein's alleged operation in the 1990s in Palm Beach.
In response to prosecution questions about who was involved, he repeatedly said the same words: 'It was Ms Maxwell'.
Prosecutors produced a 58-page household manual covering every single aspect of running the house in Palm Beach that they indicated Maxwell had written.
There were dozens of checklists for each area of the house, instructions on when to replace the toothpaste and what brands of creams to buy.
But what caught the eye was an instruction to all household staff that was seized on by the prosecution: 'You see nothing, hear nothing, say nothing'.
'Kate,' the second woman to claim she was abused by the couple was ruled to be a witness rather than an accuser by the judge.
Under questioning from the prosecution, Kate claimed on the sixth day of the trial that she was 17 when she was introduced to Maxwell by a boyfriend on a trip to Paris in 1994. Kate's voice at times faltered but she spoke in a clear voice with a British accent as she described having sex with Epstein and giving him sexual massages.
Kate, wearing a black cardigan, a dark blue blouse with white polka dots and a black skirt, claimed Maxwell invited her to her London townhouse in the affluent area of Belgravia where Jeffrey Epstein was wearing a robe. Maxwell told her Epstein's massage therapist had canceled and asked if she could fill in.
Kate claimed Epstein took off his robe to reveal his naked body and Maxwell handed her massage oil and closed the door. Kate said that Epstein initiated sexual contact with her.
After the massage, Kate claimed Maxwell asked, 'How did it go? Did you have fun? You're such a good girl.'
'She sounded really pleased, and I was pleased that she was pleased,' Kate said.
'Later Maxwell told me to find someone to give Epstein a b***job,' Kate claimed, and said Maxwell told her he needed to have sex 'three times a day.'
As she sat in the witness box her blonde hair was swept back in a bun. She appeared nervous and before the hearing was sitting outside court with her eyes closed as she steadied herself.
Maxwell appeared impassive and mostly remained sitting back in her chair.
Before Kate began to give evidence Judge Alison Nathan told the jury that because she was over the age of consent at the time she is 'not a victim' of the alleged crimes.
Judge Nathan said that the jury cannot convict Maxwell based on Kate's evidence and cannot use it for assessing Maxwell's 'character'.
The jury can only use it for things that are 'relevant to the issues before you', the judge said.
As a result of the ruling Kate was not asked the particulars of her encounters with Epstein.
Kate said that in 1994 when she was 17 she was living in Belgravia with her mother who was ill and 'under a lot of stress'. She said she gave her mother massages to relieve her migraines.
Kate said she first met Maxwell in Paris on a trip with a man she was dating: at the time he was 38 and made the introduction as he knew Maxwell.
Maxwell maintained her innocence throughout the trial, refusing to take the stand in her own defense
The most visually dramatic moment of the trial came when one of Epstein's massage tables was brought into court for the jury to see, on December 3
Maxwell declined to give evidence at her trial, saying: 'The government has not proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt so there is no reason to testify'
A witness using the pseudonym 'Kate' took the stand in Day Six of Ghislaine Maxwell's high-profile sex trafficking trial, on December 6. Kate claimed Epstein took off his robe to reveal his naked body and Maxwell handed her massage oil and closed the door. Kate said that Epstein initiated sexual contact with her
Kate said of Maxwell: 'We spoke about the evening and where we were headed, we spoke about where I lived. We spoke about the man I was dating. She was asking me about myself'.
Kate said that Maxwell was 'very sophisticated, very elegant and had quite short dark brown hair. She was very impressive'.
Kate estimated that Maxwell was in her early 30s at the time. Kate gave Maxwell her phone number and a few weeks later she called her.
Kate said: 'I was quite excited to be friends with her and she was friends with the guy I was dating. She seemed very excited and she seemed to be everything I wanted to be'.
Kate said that she had a place to study law at Oxford University, which Maxwell told her she had attended. Kate said she was a musician as well and said she might pursue that and talked about how she was into athletics.
Kate said she had a 'really lovely time' during her meeting with Maxwell. She sighed as she said: 'I felt really special. I felt I had found a connection that could be really meaningful to me…she seemed as excited as I was to have a new friend. I left feeling exhilarated. Like somebody wanted me. Somebody wanted to be my friend'.
Maxwell told Kate about Epstein and said that he was a 'philanthropist who liked to help young people and that it would be really wonderful for me to meet him'.
Kate said that at the time in her life she was feeling 'lonely' and having just moved to the UK from France she 'hadn't found a group of friends'
A few weeks later Maxwell invited Kate back again to her home to meet Epstein. Kate said there was an 'urgency' in Maxwell's voice and she sounded 'activated' as she said Epstein was in town.
Kate said: 'She said she would love it if I could over and meet him.'
Four witnesses were asked if they had ever heard of Maxwell being pregnant - all four times raised by the defense.
Larry Visoski was the first who was questioned about it.
One of the photos of Maxwell and Epstein released by prosecutors shows them in the 1990s with Epstein putting his hand on her stomach as if she were pregnant.
The mystery was not resolved by the end of the trial.
Carolyn, one of Ghislaine Maxwell's accusers, claimed she had seen a picture of her nude and pregnant. Though that picture was never introduced as evidence, another of Epstein cradling Maxwell's belly was
Photographers are not allowed inside federal courts, so the public view of the trial came from sketch artists who were instructed not to depict the faces of the anonymous witnesses. Here 'Carolyn' is questioned during the trial on December 7
The trial was held at the Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse in downtown Manhattan, pictured on December 16
The court heard heartbreaking testimony of how Epstein abused accuser 'Carolyn' more than 100 times between the ages of 14 and 18.
Carolyn described how Maxwell once felt her breasts and said she had a 'great body for Mr Epstein and his friends'.
Carolyn detailed how she came from a troubled background and the power difference between her and Epstein and Maxwell was shocking.
After a brutal cross examination at the hands of Maxwell's lawyer Jeffrey Pagliuca, Carolyn broke down in tears during questioning from the prosecution.
Through tears Carolyn said of Maxwell: 'Money will not ever fix what that woman did to me'.
In one of the most shocking moments from the trial, prosecutors introduced into evidence dozens of previously unseen photos of Maxwell and Epstein that were seized when the FBI raided his New York mansion in 2019.
They covered decades and showed them kissing each other and in various far flung locations.
One showed Maxwell sitting on a boat in a bikini, another showed them both smiling rapturously with some yachts in the background. The images were designed to show that they were a loving couple for many years, contrary to what the defense was claiming.
Annie Farmer said she was lured to Zorro Ranch, Epstein's isolated home in New Mexico (pictured)
The only accuser to give evidence under her real name, Annie Farmer, described how she was lured to Epstein's ranch in New Mexico at the age of 16 with the promise there would be dozens of other bright students that he wanted to help.
Instead it was just her and Maxwell proceeded to massage her breasts before Epstein got into bed with her.
Summing up her experience, Farmer said: 'I think this was all a pattern of them working on confusing my boundaries and malign me, question myself about what was right and what was not right with the ultimate goal of sexually abusing me'.
Farmer's older sister Maria was the first person to report Epstein and Maxwell's alleged sexual abuse of underage girls in 1996.
Farmer, now 42, described meeting the late pedophile in New York in 1995 when she was 16, and how he brought her to his ranch outside Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she met Maxwell.
She described how the two lavished her with gifts and offered to help her academic endeavors, before subjecting her to unwanted fondling and cuddling instead.
Wearing a white and black patterned top, black pants, and shoulder length blonde hair on Friday, Farmer stared down Maxwell as she entered the court looking over to her left to eyeball the accused.
Farmer testified that she was living in Phoenix, Arizona, with her mother and younger sister. Her older sister Maria, who is nine years older than her, was living in New York and working for Epstein.
In December 1995 Farmer flew to New York on a trip paid for by Epstein because money was 'tight' in their house and they couldn't afford it.
Epstein also paid for a ticket for Farmer and her sister to see the Broadway show The Phantom of the Opera.
Describing meeting Epstein at his home in New York, Farmer said: 'He seemed very friendly and down to earth'.
Epstein was dressed 'casually' while the sisters were 'dressed up because it was a big deal and we were excited about seeing the production'.
Farmer said that Epstein's home, a nine story property that was the largest private residence in Manhattan was 'very grand', especially as Maria's apartment where they were staying was only 500 square feet.
She said that Epstein 'asked me about my plans for after high school' and said she should consider applying to UCLA as he had 'connections' there who could help her.
Afterwards Epstein's driver took them to see the play, Farmer said,
She said: 'I was very excited. He was very friendly…he seemed very nice. I was excited and reassured'.
Farmer met Epstein for a second time on the same trip when she, Epstein and her sister went to see the film Five Monkeys.
Farmer said: 'Initially when the lights went down we watched the movie and at some point he reached over and puts his hand on the arm rest between our seats and started to reach for my hand and caressed my hand, interlocking his hand with mine and holding my hand'.
Farmer said her legs were crossed and Epstein 'was rubbing the bottom of my shoe and rubbing my foot and my leg'.
She said: 'I was very surprised. It was very surprised and anxious. I felt sick to my stomach. It was not something I was expecting. I noticed that when he interacted with my sister he stop doing that. When he was looking forward again he would return to touching me'.
Farmer said she didn't tell her sister because she was 'very protective' and she would have got 'upset'. In addition she worried that Maria 'could lose her job'.
The jury were shown an entry from Farmer's diary from January 7, 1996 in which she said that 'the best night' of her trip was when she 'went to Jeff Epstein's house and had champagne' followed by The Phantom of the Opera.
She wrote that Epstein seemed 'down to earth'.
The jury was shown another diary entry from January 25, 1996 in which Farmer caught up on recent events, including more about her trip to New York.
She recounted the incident while watching the film and said it was 'a little weird, one of those things that's hard to explain'.
She wrote that Epstein reached for her hand and they were 'holding hands' and that he 'rubbed my arm'.
Farmer wrote: 'It gave me a weird feeling but it wasn't that weird', adding that it was 'probably normal'.
In this courtroom sketch, Annie Farmer testifies on the witness stand during the Maxwell sex abuse trial on December 10
Annie Farmer (pictured as a young girl) says she was introduced to Epstein and Maxwell when she was 16
Former Epstein girlfriend Eva Andersson Dubin she never saw Epstein acting inappropriately around teenage girls
One of the pictures brought in as evidence showed Epstein and Maxwell relaxing at Balmoral, the Scottish home of Queen Elizabeth. Her son, Prince Andrew, is one of the men who was said to have flown on Epstein's plane
For the defense, Eva Andersson Dubin, who dated Epstein on and off from 1983 to 1991, testified that she stayed in touch with him after she married financier Glenn Dubin in 1994.
Andersson Dubin said that her three children had an 'uncle like' relationship with Epstein and called him 'Uncle F', which appeared to be short for Jeff.
Andersson Dubin said that she never saw Epstein acting inappropriately around teenage girls. Asked if she had ever taken part in an orgy with the accuser called Jane, she said: 'Absolutely not'.
At the 11th hour Maxwell raised the prospect of calling Kevin Moran, the owner of the Nag's Head pub in central London.
She even planned to fly him over from the UK to testify that she didn't own a house over the road from his pub until 1997, undermining the claims by the accuser called Kate.
But after discussions with the judge, Moran was not called and the defense closed after just two days.
Ghislaine Maxwell confirmed that she would not be testifying in a dramatic moment on the final day of her defense.
Maxwell stood up with her hands held together as her lawyer Bobbi Sternheim put her arm around her. Speaking confidently in a cut glass English accent, Maxwell said: 'Your honor, the government has not proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt so there is no reason to testify'.
It had been thought that Maxwell would follow in the footsteps of other high profile defendants like Kyle Rittenhouse and Elizabeth Holmes. Both gave evidence despite the risks and in Rittenhouse's case it was seen as instrumental in clearing him of all charges.
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