Judge pauses Ghislaine Maxwell trial deliberations until next week

The New York judge overseeing the criminal sex trafficking trial of Ghislaine Maxwell halted juror deliberations until Monday. The jury will now resume deliberations after the Christmas break.

The jury entered deliberations late Monday afternoon to determine the fate of Maxwell, the British socialite facing six felony charges for allegedly sex trafficking underage girls for financier Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself in 2019.

During the trial, prosecutors accused Maxwell of grooming teenage girls for Epstein to abuse, arguing she prepared them for the encounter and brought them to his estates in Florida and New York. The charges span from 1994 to 2004.

The prosecution team painted Maxwell as Epstein’s partner-in-crime who worked with the late financier to maintain her lifestyle, Reuters reported.

The defense argued during the trial that Maxwell is innocent and a scapegoat for Epstein, since the disgraced financier is no longer alive.

Before breaking for the holidays, the jury had requested additional information about several accusers and Epstein’s housekeeper, Juan Patricio Alessi, who testified that he saw two underage girls repeatedly visit the estate, the Associated Press reported.