Ghislaine Maxwell reportedly stared at the courtroom artist who was sketching her and started to draw her back.
The sketch was made during a pre-trial hearing on 1 November after Maxwell, the former girlfriend of child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, spotted artist Elizabeth Williams drawing her during the proceedings.
An image, created by fellow courtroom artist Jane Rosenberg, depicting the bizarre encounter has since gone viral, with social media users branding it ‘creepy’ and ‘disrespectful’.
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Speaking to the Sun, Williams said: “It was the first thing she did when she got into court.
“It was like she didn’t think anyone would notice. She stared right at us, and it was definitely an odd moment.
“Maybe she was trying to psyche us out, or perhaps she was just missing human contact. But whatever the reason, it didn’t creep us out.
“She’s not exactly an intimidating person!
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“The second time she did it, she turned right around to us. It was very deliberate.”
A description of the image shared by Alamy reads: “Ghislaine Maxwell, the Jeffrey Epstein associate accused of sex trafficking, makes a sketch of court artists during a pre-trial hearing ahead of jury selection, in a courtroom sketch in New York City, U.S.”
Williams said although she appeared to take an instant dislike to her, she later began nodding to and waving at the sketch artists.
She added: “She (Maxwell) has stopped doing that over the last few days.
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"Trials like this can be very hard on everybody.”
Maxwell is currently standing trial on charges of conspiracy and enticing minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, and the transportation of minors to engage in criminal sexual activity for allegedly grooming and recruiting underage girls from 1994 through 1997.
She is also charged with sex trafficking of a minor from 2001 and 2004, as well as one count of sex trafficking conspiracy.
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The 59-year-old has pleaded not guilty to all charges and faces up to 80 years in prison if convicted.
Prosecutor Lara Pomerantz accused Maxwell of ‘serving up’ young girls in her opening statement.
She told the court: "She preyed on vulnerable young girls, manipulated them, and served them up to be sexually abused.”
However, her defence lawyers claim Maxwell is being used as a scapegoat because Jeffrey Epstein is dead.
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Lawyer Bobbi Sternheim said: "The charges against Ghislaine Maxwell are for things that Jeffrey Epstein did, but she is not Jeffrey Epstein.”
Featured Image Credit: Alamy