Ghislaine Maxwell with the Duke of York (Chris Ison/PA)
(Picture: PA Archive)Ghislaine Maxwell’s criminal trial was adjourned for the day on Thursday after one of the lawyers took ill.
It comes as jurors were preparing to hear from a fourth woman accusing the British socialite of setting her up for sexual abuse by Jeffrey Epstein.
A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s office said the trial was scheduled to resume on Friday, but that an update would follow.
The delay came after a FedEx employee testified about invoices issued in 2002 associated with an Epstein account for packages that were sent to a woman who testified under the name Carolyn who said Epstein abused her from when she was 14.
Carolyn told jurors on Tuesday she received a FedEx package from Epstein containing lingerie and the indictment said Maxwell and other Epstein employees also gave her gifts.
Carolyn said Epstein’s abuse came after she had been introduced to him by Virginia Giuffre, who asked if she “wanted to go make money.”
Giuffre is one of Epstein’s and Maxwell’s most prominent accusers but she is not among the four alleged victims in Maxwell’s indictment, and is not expected to testify.
Maxwell, 59, has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and other crimes for allegedly recruiting and grooming girls for Epstein.
She could face up to 70 years in prison if convicted on six counts at her trial plus additional time if convicted on two perjury counts that will be tried later.
Carolyn and two other alleged victims have given jurors emotional, often explicit descriptions of how Maxwell encouraged them to give Epstein massages that escalated into sexual encounters although Maxwell’s lawyers are yet to mount their defence.
Lawyers for Maxwell have argued she is being scapegoated for Epstein’s alleged conduct.Epstein killed himself in August 2019 at age 66 in a Manhattan jail cell while awaiting trial on sex abuse charges.
