Ghislaine Maxwell pleads not guilty to sex trafficking

[SouthBayDem]

Source: Reuters

British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell pleaded not guilty on Friday to federal sex trafficking charges in the case accusing her of helping the late financier Jeffrey Epstein recruit and sexually abuse girls.

Maxwell, 59, entered her plea through her lawyer before U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan in Manhattan.

The charges had been included in an eight-count indictment unveiled on March 29. It was the first time Maxwell had faced a judge in person since her arrest last July.

Prosecutors have accused Maxwell of grooming and paying a girl who, starting at age 14, gave Epstein nude massages and engaged in sex acts with him from 2001 to 2004, and said the girl recruited others to offer erotic massages.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/ghislaine-maxwell-enter-plea-sex-trafficking-charges-2021-04-23/

[soothsayer]

1. Fair enough. I guess a trial will happen?

[COL Mustard]

2. As Is Her Constitutional Right

She has to be proven guilty. I would plead not guilty too if I were her.

[EYESORE 9001]

3. That's her option

It's not like she can't afford a decent lawyer, and they obviously didn't offer a plea deal.

[Pinback]

4. She recruited only very old Russian women! (nt)

[Tomconroy]

5. I'm pretty sure

the US attorneys were trying to get her to testify against Prince Andrew. Looks like she won't do it.

[spooky3]

6. Why would they care? It's not as if they could throw

Prince Andrew in jail. But maybe they have some bigger American targets.

[Tomconroy]

7. Actually they could

throw him in jail pretty easily if he were convicted of having sex with an under age girl. Royals don't have immunity from prosecution. The US attorneys tried to get him to submit to a voluntary interview. They wanted whatever explanations he had to be on record.

[spooky3]

8. My point is that, in reality, there is NO chance they would risk strife with the UK if they were

even to pursue charges, IMHO, especially if they don't have an airtight case. That may be unjust, but I believe it is practically true. And there is little for the US to gain (aside from whatever justice there may be) even if PA were convicted. Going after an American politician or business bigwig, on the other hand, would be something US authorities might be interested in.

[Tomconroy]

9. You have no idea to what

lengths an ambitious prosecutor will go. I suspect even now they are salivating at the prospect.(Who can forget Ken Starr's years long crusade over a single incident of oral sex?)

[Escurumbele]

13. I have to agree with you, there is very little to gain going after Prince Andrew, and I believe that

no matter how ambitious the prosecutor may be, he/she will get a call from the FBI, the CIA and who knows who else as well to make sure he/she goes after someone else. I believe there are more losses in trying to do that, and very little gain.

Now...getting trump would be a home run.

[FakeNoose]

10. Prince Andrew would never be extradited to the US, even if convicted

It probably puts a dent in his travel plans though - he'll never fly over the US again.

[Tomconroy]

11. What would be the grounds

for refusing extradition? He's already disappeared from public life over in the UK. He refused to talk to the US Attys office. He must be pretty frightened by the advice he is getting from his lawyers.
The feds already have the girl's testimony. I think they had hoped to tie the case up quite nicely with Maxwell's testimony.

[speak easy]

12. He is the son of the Sovereign,

and the Sovereign is above the law.

[Mr. Evil]

14. This whole sordid Epstein affair just creeps me out.

His unusual suicide and the possibility of some big names being revealed in his trafficking of young girls empire makes me wonder how fast the wheels of power are turning right about now. Someone has to break and open up because this whole operation stinks to high heaven. This kind of shit has to stop.

[Tomconroy]

15. How Epstein made his money

remains a mystery. I will confess I have a secret vice. I am a long time reader of the High Life column in the Spectator magazine written by Taki Theodocopolas (I think that's spelled right). Taki earned a substantial fortune the old fashioned way. He inherited it from his Greek shipping magnate father. Anyway, Taki used to own a townhouse in Manhattan. He actually sold it when Epstein bought the townhouse next door. He knew the reputation. Taki has speculated on his column that Epstein made his money by filming the antics of some hedge fund owners and then blackmailing them for immense amounts of money. A few weeks ago he sort of hinted at one name. But having been sued five times for libel in the London courts and lost every time, he was a bit hesitant to name names.
I've also read that he would sell billionaires on a fairly blatant illegal tax dodge and take a percentage of the Ill gotten gains. He would actually have people sign a power of attorney to completely control the money. How could he pull that off? He must have been quite the con man.

[BigmanPigman]

16. Yes, quite the con man...

like his pal tRump. I want to know that whole connection too.