The Galein Maxwell affair is coming to an end? The jury was asked to discuss the case during the holiday as well
Despite the fact that the federal courts are scheduled to close on Thursday and Friday, Judge Allison Nathan asked members of the jury to continue the hearings during these days, amid fears that someone might get caught up in Corona and lead to further delays in the trial.
The judge in Galein Maxwell’s trial fears an outbreak of the corona virus among members of the jury, and therefore asks them to continue the hearings into the evening hours.
If no decision is made during Wednesday, the judge even asked jury members to continue hearings during Thursdays and Fridays as well, despite the fact that the courts are due to close these days.
Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein (Photo: Federal Prosecution in Southern New York)
As you may recall, the evidentiary phase of the media trial came to an end on Friday, December 17, and the summary phase ended last Monday, December 20. Already that day the jury began to discuss the case, but they did not reach a decision and went on Christmas break on Wednesday. That is, today was the fourth (and fifth in total) full day of hearings.
As mentioned, Judge Allison Nathan fears that one of the jury members will be infected in Corona and will have to go into solitary confinement – which will delay the trial even further. Because of this, she asked them to stay until 6:00 pm each day (so far they have finished the hearings at 5:00 pm). She also suggested that they continue the hearings later this week as well, even though the federal courts are due to close for a year The new.
“We are seeing a huge jump in corona morbidity in New York City, and we are in a completely different place from where we were a week ago,” the judge explained.
Gillin Maxwell (Photo: Getty Images)
Jurors are discussing six counts in which Maxwell, who has been dubbed “Jeffrey Epstein’s Madame” has been charged following allegations that she persuaded minors to have sex with him, and if convicted she could be sent to up to 70 years in federal prison.
Maxwell, 60, is charged with felony criminal mischief, including trafficking in women and conspiracy to commit a crime. She was arrested on July 2, 2020 in the state of New Hampshire and has since been in federal prison in New York, after the court repeatedly denied her request for bail.
As mentioned, the evidentiary phase of the trial ended last Friday after Maxwell chose not to testify. Judge Allison Nathan turned to the defendant and explained that she had the right to go to the witness stand, or alternatively choose not to, to which Maxwell replied: “Madam Judge, the prosecution has failed to prove the offenses attributed to me beyond a reasonable doubt, and therefore there is no need for me to testify.”
Right: Maxwell. Left: Judge Allison Nathan
Maxwell had close ties with Jeffrey Epstein, who committed suicide in a New York jail in August 2019 – about a year before Maxwell herself was arrested. Last year, a transcript of Maxwell’s testimony was published (following a defamation lawsuit filed against her in 2015), which revealed new details about the nature of her and Epstein’s relationship. For example, she explained why she chose to stay in touch with him after admitting to having sex with minors in 2008:
“I am a loyal person, and Jeffrey treated me well when my father passed away. I believe that one should stay with friends even in the most difficult hours, and I thought I was doing a thoughtful and nice act.” Maxwell even admitted that she assisted Epstein in “labor matters” at his home, and that she received less than $ 500,000 in return for her work: “I did it out of consideration and out of the understanding that this was a man in distress.”
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