Trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged recruiter, goes to jury

The fate of Ghislaine Maxwell, who is facing charges related to the alleged abuse and trafficking of underage girls, has been placed in the hands of a jury.

The fate of Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime associate of serial sex offender Jeffrey Epstein who is facing charges related to the alleged abuse and trafficking of underage girls, has been placed in the hands of a 12-person jury.

Judge Alison Nathan of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York instructed seven women and five men to begin deliberating on Monday, following closing arguments that highlighted three weeks of opposing testimony from Maxwell's accusers, former Epstein employees, and various other associates of the once glamorous, globetrotting couple.

Maxwell and Epstein "were partners in crime who sexually exploited young girls together," according to prosecutors, who described Maxwell in their closing arguments as "a grown woman who preyed on vulnerable kids, young women from struggling families."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison Moe said the pair selected their victims carefully, suggesting that it was no accident the four accusers who testified -- "Jane," "Kate," Carolyn and Annie -- came from single-parent households. They were isolated, Moe said, and plied with gifts and promises of career assistance in what she called a pattern of grooming and abuse.