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“He took advantage of vulnerable girls, manipulated them and handed them over to be sexually abused.”
It is the overwhelming statement of the Attorney General’s Office for the Southern District of New York, United States, where since Monday the trial against Ghislaine Maxwell, accused of eight counts of sex trafficking and other crimes.
The 59-year-old woman was the girlfriend of American millionaire Jeffrey Epstein, arrested and charged with child sex trafficking in 2019.
Epstein committed suicide shortly after being arrested while in jail awaiting trial, but Maxwell, who in addition to being his girlfriend was his right-hand man, his employee and confidant, is accused of facilitating Epstein’s abuses.
“Maxwell was one of Epstein’s closest associates. She helped him exploit girls as young as 14,” the former New York prosecutor said at a press conference when Epstein’s partner was arrested last year.
One of Epstein’s alleged victims was Teresa Helm, who was part of a group of five women who in 2019 sued the millionaire for rape, assault and illegal detention.
When he was 22 years old, Helm was studying massage at a school in California. Maxwell invited her to New York to interview for a job position as a masseur.
Teresa Helm says that she first met Ghislaine Maxwell and she introduced him to Epstein.
“She [Ghislaine Maxwell] He said, ‘You know, make sure you give Jeffrey what he wants, because Jeffrey always gets what he wants,’ “Helm told the BBC about the British aristocrat.
“She spoke very well, she was very polite. I immediately felt comfortable. I really felt that I was in the home of an educated and successful woman, and I thought this would be a dream, that I could work and travel the world,” he added.
After giving Maxwell a massage at his home, he learned that the interview had a second part, at Jeffrey Epstein’s house.
“Then there came a time when he told me that he was going to meet his partner, Jeffrey.
“If it hadn’t been for her, I would never have walked into a predator’s house. I was overwhelmed with excitement, by the opportunity to work with this woman who had this beautiful and charming house,” she explained.
Image source, Getty Images
Former prosecutor Audey Strauss said after her arrest that Ghislaine Maxwell helped Jeffrey Epstein abuse girls as young as 14 years old.
“Now I know for sure that it was the tactic of a master manipulator, that it was part of her role.”
Scapegoat
Maxwell has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and other charges. If found guilty, she faces a possible sentence of 80 years in prison.
Prosecutors at trial have offered a version of Ghislaine Maxwell as a sexual predator, which has upset her family and her defense.
“What is very shocking to me and to our family is that the presumption of innocence was broken from the day of his arrest,” Ian Maxwell, Ghislaine’s brother, told the BBC.
“The authorities have determined that she will be presented as guilty and that is wrong.”
Maxwell’s defense agrees. She says she is being used as a “scapegoat” for the late Epstein’s crimes.
Image source, Getty Images
Jeffrey Epstein considered Ghislaine Maxwell his “best friend.”
Helm is now an activist for victims of sexual abuse.
“I have lived with this experience, which changed me and hurt me deeply. I finally managed to stand up and face them and defend myself.”
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Eddie is an Australian news reporter with over 9 years in the industry and has published on Forbes and tech crunch.