Ghislaine Maxwell has been described as Jeffrey Epstein’s ‘partner in crime’ as the first day of her trial in New York saw the prosecution commence their opening statement.
According to prosecutor Lara Pomerantz, Epstein and Maxwell had a ‘playbook’ which they used to recruit and groom underage girls.
Assistant US Attorney Pomerantz claimed that Maxwell was the ‘lady of the house’ and a key part of how the billionaire paedophile managed to abuse young girls.
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They claim that Maxwell and Epstein committed crimes between them for 10 years, with Maxwell helping to ‘normalise abusive sexual conduct’.
She said: “Between 1994 and 2004, the defendant sexually exploited young girls. She preyed on vulnerable young girls, manipulated them and served them up to be sexually abused.
“The defendant was trafficking kids for sex.”
Pomerantz claimed that Maxwell ‘walked the girls into a room where she knew that man would molest them, and there were times she was in the room when it happened, making it all feel normal and casual.’
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She added: “That is why we are here today.”
On her relationship with Epstein, the prosecution stated: “Maxwell was Epstein’s best friend and right hand.
“Epstein was a multimillionaire connected to famous and powerful people.
“Starting in the 1990s, the defendant was in a personal relationship with Epstein.
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“When that relationship ended, they remained, in the defendant’s words, the best of friends.
“She was involved in every detail of Epstein’s life. During the 10 years, they committed these crimes together. She was the lady of the house.”
“The defendant and Epstein were partners in crime. They had a playbook. First, they got access to young girls. Then they gained their trust. They learned about each girl’s hopes and dreams. They learned about each girl’s family.
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“The defendant and Epstein promised these girls the world.
“The defendant and Epstein were wealthy and powerful and well-connected, and they flaunted it.”
“They figured out what the girls dreamed of being when they grew up and promised to help.
“They made these girls feel seen. They made them feel special. But that was a cover.”
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She continued: “They were wealthy and influential people who used that cover to make the girls and their parents feel comfortable and safe.
“But what came next was anything but safe. The next stage involved getting the girls comfortable with sexual contact involving Epstein.”
The attorney went on to claim that Maxwell and Epstein would initiate the abuse by convincing the girls into ‘massaging’ Epstein, using that as a way to normalise contact.
"Make no mistake: She knew exactly what Epstein was going to do to those children when she sent them inside those massage rooms,” Pomerantz added.
“She knew exactly what was going to happen. The defendant was essential to this scheme. As an adult woman, she was able to provide a cover of respectability for Mr Epstein that enabled her to draw these young girls and their families into a sense of security.”
The 59-year-old British socialite is charged with six counts of recruiting, grooming, and abusing four girls between 1994 and 2004, at locations in the US and UK.
She is also alleged to have had ‘group sexual encounters’ with the girls between 1994 and 1997, the lawyers added.
Maxwell has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
Outlining the case, Pomerantz said: “You will learn about multiple girls who were targeted by Epstein and the defendant for sexual abuse.
“You will learn about a 16-year-old girl, who travelled to Epstein’s ranch in New Mexico, who found herself alone with Maxwell and Epstein.”
She also mentioned a 17-year-old girl who they claim was spotted by Maxwell in her car and approached for recruitment.
If found guilty on all six counts, Maxwell faces up to 70 years in jail, if the sentences run consecutively.
The trial, which is expected to last for six weeks, continues.
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