The sex trafficking trial of Ghislaine Maxwell neared its conclusion on Monday (December 20) as the prosecution and defense delivered their closing statements.
Prosecutors painted Maxwell as a "sophisticated predator" who preyed on young girls.
"She manipulated her victims, and she groomed them for sexual abuse," Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison Moe told the jury. "She caused deep and lasting harm to young girls."
Maxwell's defense argued that she is innocent and continued pushing claims that she was only be prosecuted because she dated Jeffrey Epstein.
"She's being tried here for being with Jeffrey Epstein," defense attorney Laura Menninger said. "Maybe that was the biggest mistake of her life, but that was not a crime."
Menninger claimed that prosecutors "pivoted" to Maxwell after Epstein was found dead in his prison cell,
Menninger told the jury that the charges against Maxwell were the "product of erroneous memories, manipulation, and money."
"The money brought the accusers to the FBI with their personal injury lawyers sitting right there next to them," she said. "The government played you a montage of Epstein's houses, his bank accounts, his artworks, his cars, his planes, his helicopters, his bank accounts, his message pads – just like a sensationalist tabloid would."
After Menninger finished her closing argument, Judge Alison Nathan gave the prosecution the opportunity to issue a rebuttal.