The brother of a British social media site accused of helping Jeffrey Epstein exploit underage girls says her prosecution is “the most hyped trial of the century”, designed to solve a woman’s crime. women targeted by authorities blame someone for the late financier’s crimes.
Ghislaine Maxwell continues to have the support of his family and a family member will be in court at all times to show support, Ian Maxwell said in a pre-trial interview, which is expected will begin Monday in United States District Court in Manhattan.
Ian Maxwell told the Associated Press it was “the most hyped trial of the century”. “This is designed to break her; I can’t see any other way to read it. And she won’t be broke because she trusts her innocence completely and she will give the best account she can. ”
Prosecutors allege Ghislaine Maxwell, 59, groomed 14-year-old girls to have sex with Epstein and lied about her knowledge of his crimes when she testified in an earlier case . She was detained for nearly 17 months, after Judge Alison J. Nathan repeatedly denied bail requests.
Prosecutors held a news conference when they announced the charges against Maxwell, saying she lured young girls into a trap she and Epstein set up for them.
“Multiple Sclerosis. Maxwell has chosen to blatantly disregard the law and her responsibilities as an adult, using whatever means she has available to her to lure vulnerable young people to into behavior they were never exposed to, creating the potential for long-term harm,” FBI Assistant Director William Sweeney said at the time.
But Ian Maxwell says his sister is being blamed by US authorities, who intend to hold someone accountable for Epstein’s crimes.
Epstein committed suicide in prison in 2019 before he could be tried.
It’s not a perfect job, but has nonetheless been brought together for Ghislaine to face charges that Epstein has never faced, Ian Maxwell said.
Ghislaine Maxwell is the youngest of 9 children of media mogul Robert Maxwell. The tycoon was once one of Britain’s richest men, but that fortune evaporated after he drowned in 1991 and investors discovered he had siphoned hundreds of millions of pounds from the fund. employee’s pension to build his empire.
The children supported each other after Robert Maxwell died and Ian and his brother were charged with financial crimes related to their father’s actions. Both were acquitted.
Now they are rallying around Ghislaine, who has dated Epstein and is his frequent companion on trips around the world.
The family continued to demand that Maxwell be released on bail, arguing that the conditions of her detention equated to torture and prevented her from assisting her defense attorneys. The remaining six siblings this week asked the United Nations to investigate Ghislaine Maxwell’s “inhumane” treatment.
Ian Maxwell said his sister is being “effectively quarantined” at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where she is being held in a 6 x 9 foot (1.8 x 2.7 meter) cell has natural light and is equipped with a toilet and a concrete bed. She couldn’t sleep because she was monitored around the clock by four guards and 10 cameras due to unwarranted fears that she was at risk of suicide, he said.
Earlier this month, a judge again refused to let Epstein’s ex-girlfriend exchange her cell for home detention, citing the gravity of the charges and the risk of her flying.
“It is completely inappropriate to refuse bail,” said Ian Maxwell. “Some very famous, notorious people have been released on bail such as the most recent murderer George Floyd. John Gotti, another killer, a bandit. Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, Bernie Madoff. Of course, all of the men were released on bail. Ghislaine is a woman who is somehow not out on bail.”
Americans who care about justice should worry, because anyone could be charged and detained under similar conditions, he said.
“The authorities are feeling pressure because they have lost (Epstein) and they are feeling the pressure of the public, and a combination of pressure is keeping Ghislaine in,” her brother said. “But it still doesn’t make it right.”
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