Ghislaine Maxwell Trial Nearing Its End as Jury Starts Deliberations; Prosecutor Says She's 'Complicit' in Jeffrey Epstein's Sex Abuse of Teen Girls

Jurors have started their deliberations in the sex trafficking and perjury trial of Ghislaine Maxwell at a New York City court.

Maxwell has denied claims of grooming underage girls for abuse by the late convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein, BBC News reported.

Jurors have already heard the final statements of the prosecutors and Maxwell's defense lawyers, with the former calling the socialite as a "sophisticated predator," while the latter alleged "sensationalism."

Judge Alison Nathan said over the weekend that jurors would be instructed that they may choose to convict Maxwell if they conclude she either ignored or "consciously avoided" knowledge of Epstein's sex abuse of underage girls.

In her closing argument on Monday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison Moe told jurors that Maxwell was a grown woman who preyed on vulnerable girls, adding that the socialite knew exactly what she was doing.

Moe added that Maxwell manipulated her victims and groomed them for sexual abuse, according to The Guardian.

"[Maxwell is a] sophisticated predator who knew exactly what she was doing... She manipulated her victims and groomed them. She caused deep and lasting harm to young girls. It is time to hold her accountable," Moe noted.

Meanwhile, defense attorney Laura Menninger insisted that the claims against Maxwell were influenced by erroneous memories and money.

Menninger said the government played the people with a montage of Epstein's houses, bank accounts, and cars, among others, just like a "sensationalist tabloid would."

Trial of Ghislaine Maxwell

The trial was initially projected to last six weeks, with Nathan urging lawyers to keep their closing statements tight so the jury could start deliberations as early as Monday with the COVID outbreak in New York in mind, NPR reported.

Ghislaine Maxwell's four siblings attended her trial, sitting next to one another in the first row of spectators.

The judge has repeatedly denied her bail despite her lawyer's arguments that the pledge of her $22.5 million estate and willingness to be watched 24 hours a day by armed guards would ensure her presence in court.

Defense lawyers maintained that Maxwell is the government's scapegoat for crimes committed by Jeffrey Epstein.

Maxwell's lawyers criticized the judge's move as a "backup option" if the jury does not find Maxwell an active participant during the abuses.

Jeffrey Epstein's Sex Trafficking Charges

Jeffrey Epstein was found in a jail cell in 2019 dead while he was awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.

Ghislaine Maxwell has been held at a U.S. jail without the chance of bail since she was arrested in July 2020. The charges against her covered a period between 1994 and 2004.

Prosecutors called two dozen witnesses over 10 days as they built a narrative of Maxwell's involvement in a "pyramid scheme of abuse" with Epstein.

Four accusers testified that Maxwell often set up, demonstrated, and took part in massages that turned into sexual acts with Epstein.

In addition, the government had released a series of unseen photographs, flight logs, and documents intended to link Epstein and Maxwell as "partners in crime."

Ghislaine Maxwell decided not to take the stand in her own defense on Friday, telling the judge that the claims against her were unproven.

Meanwhile, defense lawyers called nine witnesses in two days of testimony last week, including a cognitive psychologist who testified that people might reconstruct "false memories" of traumatic events.

If convicted on the six counts she faces at this trial, Ghislaine Maxwell could face up to 80 years in prison. She pleaded not guilty to all charges.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Closing Arguments Delivered at Ghislaine Maxwell's Trial - From Sky News