Ghislaine Maxwell jury selection strays into questions of cop shows and fishing
When Ghislaine Maxwell came faceto-face with prospective jurors for her federal court sex trafficking trial in Manhattan on Tuesday morning, their candor brought moments of comedy to the staid process of jury selection – including a discussion of a famed TV police procedural and an exchange about fishing.
Maxwell, 59, was arrested in July 2020 at a secretive estate in Bradford, a small town in New Hampshire. She is charged with sex crimes, conspiracy and perjury related to the actions of the financier Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019, while awaiting sex trafficking charges.
After Maxwell’s arrest, Audrey Strauss, then acting US attorney in Manhattan, said the daughter of the late British press tycoon Robert Maxwell “played a critical role in helping Epstein to identify, befriend and groom minor victims” and “in some cases, Maxwell participated in the abuse”.
The indictment charges that Maxwell “would try to normalize sexual abuse for a minor victim by, among other things, discussing sexual topics, undressing in front of the victim, being present when a minor victim was undressed, and/or being present for sex acts involving the minor victim and Epstein”.
The indictment also says Maxwell attempted to hide her involvement in Epstein’s crimes, providing untrue information “under oath” amid civil litigation. That case was a defamation suit filed against Maxwell by Virginia Giuffre, a longtime Epstein accuser. The judge has ruled that the perjury counts will be tried separately.
Giuffre claimed Maxwell and Epstein forced her into sexual encounters with Prince Andrew when she was only 17 years old. Maxwell pleaded not guilty to the charges against her. The Duke of York has vehemently denied all allegations of misconduct.
Opening statements in Maxwell’s case are scheduled for 29 November. The trial is expected to extend into the new year.
On Tuesday, Judge Alison Nathan started questioning potential panelists, a process meant to filter out candidates who might hold biases that could favor the defense or prosecution. Nearly 50 possible jurors were present, brought into the courtroom one by one.
Nathan asked about familiarity with the case, backgrounds, hobbies and media consumption.
“I’ve watched a lot of Law & Order over the years,” one potential juror said. The woman, 69, is retired.
The judge noted that Law & Order is a “fictional account” of the criminal justice system, then asked if the woman’s partiality to Law & Order would “in any way affect your ability to be fair and impartial?”
“No,” the woman said. “I don’t think so.”
Another retiree was asked if he had opinions about wealthy people that could bias him against Maxwell. He responded with a firm “No”.
“I used to work as a personal assistant at parties and stuff,” the man said, adding with a laugh: “So of course I dealt with all the rich people – United Nations, Met Opera … they provided my livelihood.”
Asked to describe his hobbies, the 72-year-old said he read at least a book a day and enjoyed tennis, golf and opera. Someone remarked that retirement sounded “nice”.
“Fifteen years for me, [but] who’s counting?” Judge Nathan chuckled, apparently referring to her own retirement timeline.
A 24-year-old woman, who said she had detached from social media, was asked: “How long have you been cold turkey?”
“On Twitter, almost three years,” she replied, then laughed. “Sounds like an AA meeting.”
A 63-year-old man said, “I’m a fisherman,” to which Nathan replied: “Me too.”
“That’s all I do,” the man said.
“It’s the season now,” Nathan answered.
One possible juror, who said she didn’t read newspapers or magazines, told Nathan she was pursuing a master’s degree. Shortly thereafter, the 28-year-old woman said: “I’m currently not enrolled because of the vaccination status requirement.”
Some prospects said they hadn’t heard of Maxwell but were familiar with Epstein. One juror interviewed before the morning break said he hadn’t heard of either.
Maxwell, who again wore grey trousers and a black sweater, appeared to mostly look at Nathan. The same Maxwell family member who has attended prior proceedings was in the audience, taking notes. She appeared to doze off several times.
Before questioning started, Nathan revealed that one contender had complained about being summoned. This possible juror “wrote a lengthy email to the court complaining about the process of getting into the courthouse”, Nathan said. The person said that having to check their electronic devices and go through security checks was akin to “juror harassment”.