Judge in Ghislaine Maxwell trial won’t allow defense witnesses to testify anonymously
By Lauren del Valle and Eric Levenson, CNN
(CNN) -- Ghislaine Maxwell's defense on Thursday will begin to call its own witnesses in her federal trial, but three potential witnesses who wished to testify anonymously will not be allowed to do so.
Earlier this week, a defense attorney told the court that three defense witnesses requested to testify anonymously or under a pseudonym because they "might get a lot of unwanted attention." Judge Alison Nathan rejected that request on Thursday morning. She said an order expanding on that ruling will be posted to the docket later in the day.
Nathan also ruled the defense cannot seek testimony from attorneys for two of the women who testified that they were sexually abused while underage. However, the defense will be allowed to call to the stand Robert Glassman, an attorney for a third accuser who testified under the name "Jane," to testify on a narrow issue related to his client's knowledge of how her cooperation would impact her payout with the Epstein Victim Compensation Fund.
The rulings come as the defense begins to present its case Thursday in the sex trafficking conspiracy trial of Maxwell, the close confidante and longtime associate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The defense's case is expected to last just a few days.
The prosecution rested its case on Friday after calling 24 witnesses across 10 days of testimony. Their case was highlighted by four women who said they were sexually abused by Epstein when they were under 18 and who said Maxwell facilitated and sometimes participated in that abuse.
Prosecutors also introduced photos of Maxwell and Epstein embracing and smiling for the camera over the years, including several showing her massaging his foot. The defense objected to showing the jury these photos, but the prosecution insisted their close relationship was central to the case, and the judge agreed.
"Their relevance is self-apparent, given the contents of the photographs," prosecutor Alison Moe said. "The relationship between Maxwell and Epstein is central to this case."
Defense attorneys have argued Maxwell is being scapegoated for Epstein's actions and have attacked the memories and motivations of the women who say they were abused.
Maxwell, 59, has pleaded not guilty to six federal charges: sex trafficking of minors, enticing a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and three counts of conspiracy.
Epstein, who pleaded guilty in 2008 to state prostitution charges, was indicted on federal sex trafficking charges in July 2019 but died by suicide in prison a month later. Maxwell was arrested a year afterward.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
