Second Day of Testimony Casts Ghislaine Maxwell as Epstein’s “Partner in Crime”

By Melanie Pileggi

On Monday, the prosecution’s first witness, Lawrence Paul Visoski Jr, Epstein’s pilot from 1991 to 2019, began his testimony and set Maxwell as a prominent figure in Epstein’s life. He noted that Maxwell was “On a lot of the flights,” and that her relationship with Epstein was “More personal than business.” On Tuesday, the second day of trial in New York, Visoski testified that Maxwell was “No 2” in Epstein’s hierarchy, just below Epstein. He continued saying that Maxwell “Was his go-to person to handle everything else that wasn’t business-related.”

 

Epstein committed suicide in 2019 while in jail as he awaited trial for transporting and abusing minor teenagers. Now, Maxwell, 59, is being tried in Manhattan’s federal court. She has pleaded not guilty to six counts arising from allegedly procuring teenage girls for Epstein. She also faces two counts for allegedly lying under oath, on which she will be tried separately. Many names of prestigious men who were passengers on Epstein’s plane were raised in court, such as Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew and Donald Trump – but they do not have any involvement in these charges against her.

Ghislaine Maxwell’s Second Day of Testimony

During opening remarks on Monday, Maxwell’s lead attorney, Bobbi Sternheim, called Maxwell as a patsy for Epstein’s crimes – going as far as referencing the Bible:

 

“Ever since Eve was accused of tempting Adam for the apple, women have been blamed for the bad behaviour of men and women are often villainized and punished more than the men ever are,”

 

Sternheim says the charges against Maxwell are for crimes Epstein committed, going on to say that she is “Not like Jeffrey Epstein – and she is not like any of the other men, powerful men, moguls, media giants, who abuse women.”

 

However, prosecutor Lara Pomerantz argues that Maxwell was complicit with Epstein’s crimes, arguing she knew exactly what was going on – saying Maxwell and Epstein were “partners in crime.”

 

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