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On Monday, the court will hear the closing arguments in the Ghislaine Maxwell sex trafficking criminal case in New York.
The prosecution is expected to paint Maxwell as a sexual predator of minors referring to the testimony of four victims and corroborating testimonies.
The defense is expected to recite their own opening statement that this case is about “memory, manipulation, and money,” and that their client is innocent and the prosecution did not prove their case.
The question remaining for the prosecution is whether they presented facts that lead to a guilty verdict beyond a reasonable doubt.
On Friday, when asked by the judge if Maxwell chose to testify on her behalf, she refused claiming that there was no need to because the prosecution did not present a case that elevated beyond a reasonable doubt.
The question for the defense is whether their defense was even a defense at all that could save Maxwell from a guilty verdict.
The prosecutors could have presented more witnesses, but kept them limited to 22. Over 100 victims were compensated by Jeffrey Epstein’s estate to a tune of $135 million.
The defense claimed that the court would hear sensational testimony from 35 witnesses, but that was hardly the case.
Only seven testified. One was subpoenaed and refused to respond. One was to fly into the New York from London, but did not make it on time. The Judge refused to delay the trial. Another one said she would take the ‘fifth’ presumably precluding her from making incriminating statements.
Lawyers representing the victims who testified for the prosecution’s case were to be called. The judge ruled these lawyers’ testimonies were inadmissible.
Seemingly, the attorneys were targeted so the defense could argue that the lawyers “manipulated” their clients.
A memory specialist was called for the defense, but her testimony was weak. She was not allowed to characterize the memories about the victims who testified.
As for the money angle to the defense’s argument in their opening statement - yes, the victims did receive compensation from the Epstein victims’ compensation fund. The range of compensation for the prosecution’s witnesses was $1.25 million - $5 million.
The compensation fund recognized the prosecution’s witnesses as victims, but now the question is whether the jurors in the Maxwell’s trafficking case see Maxwell as a pimp, madam, and sex predator and procurer of minors leading them to sexual slaughter.
Hovering over the case is whether women can be viewed as manipulative traffickers.
In the recent sex cult trial of NXIVM, wealthy and well-educated women pled guilty to facilitating the sexual pleasure of their cult leader for sex.
In the sex trade, the name given to those who organize younger victims are called “bottom bitches.” In many cases, they are extremely harsh on those they control for the trafficker to reduce the harm upon themselves. Some even have to registered as sex offenders even if they receive no prison time.
Hstory tells us that women traffickers are not above the law. A trafficker is a trafficker no matter what the sex.
The weight is on Maxwell’s prosecutors’ presentation in court versus Maxwell’s defense.
In this case, Maxwell’s team hyped her defense, but fell flat at the end, and perhaps, there is good reason.
Perhaps, there is no defense for an indefensible crime.
Noticeably though, there is ample evidence on the sidelines that the defense may be building a case for an appeal though.
Five motions for bail. All denied. Accusations of inhumane conditions in the detention center where Maxwell is being held. A letter sent to US Attorney Garland asking him to step in on this inhumane treatment of a prisoner as well as an appeal to the United Nations for violations of human rights, requests for attorneys to testify which were denied, and not waiting for a supposedly pivotal British witness that would proffer contradictory testimony of one of the four witnesses.
It could be that if a guilty plea is reached, Maxwell’s defense has been laying ground for an appeal all along.
Christine Dolan has covered human trafficking for nearly 22 years in 140 countries - on the street and over the internet and all faces of human trafficking, including, but not limited to labor, sex, sex tourism, ritual abuse torture, child soldiers, internet trafficking. institutional trafficking, corporate trafficking, medicinal trafficking, the NGOs involved in anti-trafficking efforts, as well as those falsely accused of human trafficking.
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I love the way you write, its amazingly concise.
The expected lifespan of a child sold into sexual slavery is eight years. Have any of Maxwell's victims died as a result of her actions?
finish your thought.
listen closely.....nobody of any importance will be punished for these horrid crimes. The fbi will make sure of that.