Civil lawsuit puts Maxwell criminal case ‘in jeopardy’

‘Witnesses may expose facts about the investigation that would enable Maxwell to seek a preview of testimony’

FEDERAL prosecutors pursuing criminal child sex trafficking charges against Ghislaine Maxwell say their case may be jeopardised if a civil lawsuit against her is allowed to continue.

In an extraordinary appeal to the judge, prosecutors from the Southern District of New York argued there was a “factual overlap between the civil and criminal cases” and a “significant risk” that proceeding with a civil suit would jeopardise the criminal prosecution.

The civil suit, filed earlier this year under the pseudonym Jane Doe, contained allegations similar to those in the criminal indictment against Ms Maxwell, who allegedly groomed three girls for Epstein in the mid-nineties.

Ms Maxwell, 58, who is in a federal prison in Brooklyn until her trial next year, pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied allegations in the civil suit.

The woman in the civil suit, now 40, alleges she was approached by Epstein and Ms Maxwell in 1994, when she was aged just 13, was groomed by them and then subject to years of sexual abuse.

New York district prosecutors filed a letter on Thursday stating they were concerned “witnesses may be forced to testify about efforts to assist the criminal investigation … and may expose facts about the investigation that would enable Maxwell to seek a preview of trial testimony in the criminal case”.

By advocating for a stay in the civil case, the government finds itself aligned with Ms Maxwell and executors of Epstein’s estate, who have argued that the case should be paused pending the criminal investigation.

The disgraced financier left an estate of about £450 million after he was found dead in prison following his arrest on multiple sex-trafficking charges.

A number of alleged victims are suing the estate, arguing for compensation for the abuse they suffered.

Robert Glassman, a lawyer representing Jane Doe, told the court his client was “best served by pressing forward with her claims, not waiting even longer for justice”. He said a stay of civil proceedings would provide what Maxwell has sought for years, “concealing her heinous acts from public view”.

A Manhattan court is also due to hear arguments in a defamation case filed against Ms Maxwell by Virginia Roberts Giuffre on Sept 22.