NEW YORK (AP) – The first week of the sex-abuse trial of Ghislaine Maxwell saw the first of her four main accusers taking the witness stand to give emotional testimony accusing the British socialite of coaxing her – at just 14 – into sexual encounters with financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The jury at the federal trial in Manhattan also heard from former employees who offered an inside look at a lavish lifestyle Epstein shared with Maxwell, who was his girlfriend and then his employee. Her lawyers say she’s a scapegoat for Epstein, who killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial behind bars.
Here are snapshots from a trial drawing international attention:
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The first Maxwell accuser’s story began innocently enough: She was a 14-year-old eating ice cream at a music camp in 1994 when she was approached by Epstein and Maxwell, walking her Yorkie. What followed over the next few years, the accuser said, scarred her for life.