Ghislaine Maxwell 'served up girls' for 'sexual abuse', court hears

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By VT

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On the opening day of Ghislaine Maxwell's sex trafficking trial, the court heard how the defendant allegedly "served up" young girls for Jeffrey Epstein in a "pyramid scheme of abuse".

According to the prosecution, Epstein and Maxwell used a "playbook" to recruit and abuse girls under the age of consent, NBC News reports.

They went on to refer to 59-year-old Maxwell as the "lady of the house" and an integral part of her deceased ex-boyfriend's sex crimes.

According to the New York Times, it was also alleged that Maxwell and Epstein committed these crimes together for a decade, with Maxwell having "normalized abusive sexual conduct".

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Credit: REUTERS / Alamy

Per Reuters, prosecutor Lara Pomerantz said at the Manhattan federal court: "Between 1994 and 2004, the defendant sexually exploited young girls.

"She preyed on vulnerable young girls, manipulated them, and served them up to be sexually abused. The defendant was trafficking kids for sex."

Pomerantz also alleged that the British socialite "walked the girls into a room where she knew that man would molest them, and there were times she was in the room when it happened, making it all feel normal and casual."

As reported by the Independent, the prosecutor claimed that Maxwell and Epstein would initiate the sexual abuse by coaxing young girls into "massaging" Epstein in order to "normalize" physical contact.

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Credit: REUTERS / Alamy

"Make no mistake: She knew exactly what Epstein was going to do to those children when she sent them inside those massage rooms," Pomerantz added.

"She knew exactly what was going to happen. The defendant was essential to this scheme. As an adult woman, she was able to provide a cover of respectability for Mr Epstein that enabled her to draw these young girls and their families into a sense of security."

Attorneys added that she also allegedly had "group sexual encounters" with the girls between 1994 and 1997.

Maxwell is charged with six counts alleging that she recruited, groomed, and abused four underage girls between 1994 and 2004, in both the US and UK. She has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

According to The Times, she faces 80 years in prison if found guilty on all counts.

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