(LibertySociety.com) – Although Jeffrey Epstein will never face judgment on his 2019 charges of sex trafficking of a minor and conspiracy, one of his alleged accomplices will stand trial. Police arrested Ghislaine Maxwell in July 2020 for reportedly recruiting underage girls for the accused sex offender and participating in their sexual assault. At her pre-trial hearing in New York on November 1, presiding Judge Alison Nathan ruled Maxwell’s accusers could remain anonymous during testimony.
Ghislaine Maxwell suffered a series of legal setbacks yesterday in a pretrial hearing in New York after a judge ruled that the four women who've accused the British former socialite of sex trafficking would be allowed to remain anonymous https://t.co/r2ZJlDmgnt
— The Times and The Sunday Times (@thetimes) November 2, 2021
The ruling allows alleged victims, some of whom were as young as 14 during their assaults, to use either “pseudonyms or just a first name” in front of the jury. In previous pre-trial proceedings, the judge disallowed the defense to show the prosecution went out of its jurisdiction to collect evidence. In addition, Nathan previously ruled the prosecution could refer to the accusers as victims and minor victims. These decisions are setbacks for Maxwell’s attorneys and will likely affect how they defend their client.
The accused maintains her innocence by insisting she hasn’t “committed a crime.” The prosecuting attorney did not offer a plea deal, and opening statements will begin on November 29, when a jury of her peers will decide the defendant’s fate.
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