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Law and JusticeUnited States of America

Ghislaine Maxwell declines to testify as defense rests case

December 18, 2021

The ex-girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein said there was "no reason" for her to testify in the sex trafficking trial, arguing that prosecutors hadn't proved their case against her.

https://p.dw.com/p/44VD3
Sketch of Ghislaine Maxwell at the defense table during her trial
Ghislaine Maxwell declined to testify during her defenseImage: Elizabeth Williams/AP Photo/picture alliance

Ghislaine Maxwell's defense rested its case in her sex abuse trial on Friday.

The British socialite, being tried in the US, pleaded not guilty to eight counts of sex trafficking and other crimes. Her attorneys argued she is being scapegoated for the conduct of her former boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein.

Epstein killed himself in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial.

Closing arguments in the trial are set for Monday, after which the jury will begin deliberations.

What was the defense's case?

Speaking for the first time since her trial began, Maxwell told US District Judge Alison Nathan that she would not testify in her own defense.

"Your honor, the government has not proven the case beyond a reasonable doubt and so there is no need for me to testify," said Maxwell, standing up in the courtroom.

Defendants in US criminal trials are not required to testify since the burden of proof is on prosecutors.

During the trial, Maxwell's defense sought to portray her four accusers as not credible and were motivated by the prospect of a payout from a compensation fund for Epstein's victims.

One of Maxwell's attorneys read a stipulation that indicated that an attorney had told one of the accusers that cooperating with prosecutors could "help her case."

Sketch of expert witness Elizabeth Loftus testifying at Ghislaine Maxwell's trial
Psychologist Elizabeth Loftus challenged the recollection of the four accusersImage: Elizabeth Williams/AP Photo/picture alliance

Among the witnesses called by the defense was the psychologist Elizabeth Loftus, whose testimony challenged the recollections of the four accusers.

Maxwell's defense indicated that they had planned to call 35 witnesses, but called just nine to the stand.

What are the charges against Maxwell?

Maxwell faces an effective life sentence if convicted of grooming minors for sexual abuse.

She has been accused by multiple women of recruiting teenage girls and young women to give sexualized massages to Epstein. One woman has said she was coerced by the pair into sexual encounters with numerous famous men.

FBI poster featuring Maxwell and Epstein at a New York news conference
Maxwell faces an effective life sentence if convictedImage: Lucas Jackson/REUTERS

Prosecutors have kept the case focused on Maxwell's interactions with four girls from 1994 to 2004. During this period, Maxwell was romantically involved with and then worked for Epstein.

The prosecution rested its case on Friday last week.

sdi/fb (AP, AFP, Reuters)