Ghislaine Maxwell trial: Prospective juror dismissed because he ‘met Jeffrey Epstein’

A prospective juror in the Ghislaine Maxwell case has been dismissed after revealing he had a connection to Jeffrey Epstein.

A prospective juror in the Ghislaine Maxwell case has been dismissed from the selection process after revealing he had met multi-millionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

British socialite Maxwell is accused of procuring girls and women for Epstein to sexually abuse.

Judge Alison J. Nathan questioned dozens of potential jurors as part of the selection process in Manhattan federal court in the sordid case against Maxwell, who appeared in court wearing a black suit.

However, one of the prospective juror – who was not identified in court – told Judge Nathan that he works as an arbitrator and was introduced to Epstein by a colleague who was setting up an investment fund.

Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Picture: Getty Images

“Epstein was an investor in it,” he said, according to the New York Post. “He was one of the larger investors.”

The middle-aged man said he met Epstein by the colleague while in the hallway of an office building. Further details surrounding the interaction were not revealed in court.

Shortly after the exchange, Judge Nathan excused the man from the jury pool.

A sketch depicting Ghislaine Maxwell in a New York court. Picture: Reuters

The 12 jurors and six alternates who will hear the case will not be chosen until November 29, when the trial will start with opening statements.

Maxwell, 59, has pleaded not guilty to all six counts, which include sex trafficking of a minor, and faces up to 80 years in prison if convicted on all charges.

It’s been 15 months since the British socialite was charged with recruiting a network of underage girls for Epstein.

The 59-year-old daughter of late newspaper baron Robert Maxwell faces a life sentence if convicted of sex trafficking minors for Epstein, her former lover who took his own life in prison more than two years ago.

Following the death of Epstein — a multimillion-dollar money manager who befriended countless celebrities, including Prince Andrew — prosecutors vowed to pursue co-conspirators, resulting in Maxwell’s arrest in July 2020.

She has since been held at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn where she has repeatedly complained of unsanitary and inhumane conditions.

“I have been assaulted and abused for almost a year and a half,” she said according to the Mail on Sunday, adding that guards interrupt her sleep and shine bright lights in her eyes.

“I am weak, I am frail. I have no stamina. I am tired. I don’t even have shoes which fit properly. They feed me rotten food. One apple had maggots in it. I have not been allowed to exercise,” she said.

Maxwell’s alleged crimes occurred between 1994 and 2004, and relate to four unnamed women, including two who say they were 14 and 15 years old when they were sexually abused.

Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in 1995. Picture: Getty Images.

Ghislaine Maxwell has denied any wrongdoing. Picture: Getty Images

Prosecutors say Maxwell befriended girls with shopping and movie trips, later coaxing them into giving Epstein nude massages at his various residences during which he would engage in sex acts before giving them money.

US government lawyers say she sometimes participated in the alleged abuse, at her London home and at Epstein’s properties in Manhattan, Palm Beach and New Mexico.

Epstein, 66, died in a Manhattan jail in August 2019 while awaiting trial on child sex trafficking charges, in what New York’s official coroner ruled a suicide.

French-born Maxwell has also been charged with two counts of perjury, which are due to be tried after her sex crimes trial.

‘I am weak. I am frail.’ Picture: REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg

The perjury counts relate to testimony she gave in 2016 in a defamation case filed against her by long-time Epstein accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre.

Giuffre alleges that Epstein used to lend her out for sex with his wealthy and powerful associates, including Prince Andrew.

Maxwell, a long-time friend of the royal, is known to have introduced the prince to Epstein.

Giuffre has sued the royal in New York, alleging he had sex with her more than 20 years ago when she was 17 and a minor under American law.

The civil lawsuit is expected to be heard before a jury in late 2022. Andrew, Queen Elizabeth’s second son, has not been criminally charged and has repeatedly and strenuously denied the allegations.

Giuffre, now 38, is not part of the criminal case against Maxwell. The indictment centres on four women referred to as minor victims one, two, three and four.

They are expected to testify that Maxwell operated a ring of young females who were taken across state lines to provide sexual messages for Epstein for which they received hundreds of dollars.

The defence argue that Maxwell is only being tried because Epstein escaped justice.

They intend to challenge the accusers’ memories of the decades-old events. Epstein was convicted in Florida in 2008 of paying young girls for massages, but served just 13 months in jail under a secret plea deal struck with the then-state prosecutor.

His suicide deprived dozens of his accusers their day in court and launched countless conspiracy theories, including that he was killed to protect powerful friends.

Maxwell has been denied bail six times since her arrest in New Hampshire, with judges deeming her a flight risk. She is unlikely to testify.

– with Reuters

Originally published as Ghislaine Maxwell trial: Prospective juror dismissed because he ‘met Jeffrey Epstein’