Ghislaine Maxwell's 'co-conspirators' poised to testify against British socialite in trial
Prosecutors in the criminal case against Ghislaine Maxwell have raised the prospect that “co-conspirators” - women accused of helping recruit girls for Jeffrey Epstein - could testify against the British socialite in court.
Lawyers for the US government have filed documents in New York saying they would turn over to the defence “the identity of any unindicted co-conspirator” they plan to call to give evidence.
Authorities in New York have looked into the role played by four women - Sarah Kellen, Adriana Ross, Lesley Groff, and Nadia Marcinkova - in Epstein’s wide sex trafficking ring.
The women, who are alleged to have worked under Ms Maxwell to recruit women and girls for the late disgraced financier Epstein to abuse, were granted immunity in a highly unusual “sweetheart deal” by US Attorney for South Florida in a 2007 criminal case.
The women, and Ms Maxwell, have denied the allegations. The Telegraph contacted lawyers for the women, who are yet to respond.
Prosecutors from the Southern District of New York said that materials during the trial “will include testifying witness statements, which themselves will also include any co-conspirator statements about which witnesses may testify at trial.”
Prosecutors stated for the first time its intent to “identify any unindicted co-conspirator documentary statements (e.g. emails between Epstein and any number of thousands of persons) only when it produces its exhibit list.”
The filing said the government is likely to be ordered to disclose the identities of the alleged co-conspirators in advance of trial to offset the "risk of surprise to the defendant."
Any such testimony by the women against Ms Maxwell could be explosive in the November trial.
The women have been called his “recruiters, groomers, sexual partners and friends,” an organised network of underlings who reportedly received huge salaries and perks in return.
Ms Kellen has been accused by Epstein’s victims of being Ms Maxwell's “top lieutenant”. They accuse her of running a “rolodex” of women and girls that she would arrange to visit Epstein wherever he was.
Another alleged assistant, Ms Marcinkova, has previously said she was herself a “sex slave” who was brought by Epstein to the US from Slovakia when she was 15 before she is alleged to have started helping procure other girls.
The socialite on Tuesday urged Judge Alison Nathan to throw out the criminal case, accusing prosecutors of overreaching in an effort to "get" her.
In a filing made public on Tuesday in federal court in Manhattan, Ms Maxwell's lawyers argued that some charges were covered by the 2007 non-prosecution agreement, which the 59-year-old has unsuccessfully argued also immunised "potential" co-conspirators like herself.
The new indictment "demonstrates just how far the government is willing to go to 'get' Ms Maxwell and disingenuously blame her for the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein," her lawyers said.
