Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK (Reuters), Ghislaine Maxwell will challenge the charges against her that she “groomed” young girls in order to sexually abuse Jeffrey Epstein. Also, her accusers could have faulty memories.

A letter sent by Maxwell’s lawyers Monday made it public. It stated that Maxwell’s alleged attempt to win the trust of her accusers did not necessarily reflect an intention to abuse them.

Park Dietz (the former president) was asked to testify in Maxwell’s “grooming” by implying that he had recruited underage girls to provide sexualized massages to Epstein. This letter received no support from scientists.

Elizabeth Loftus (a psychologist who specializes in memory problems) would also testify on “false memories of sexual abuses” that witnesses could relate to with confidence, detail and emotion, without intentionally lying.

The Manhattan U.S. attorney Damian Williams, who is currently prosecuting Maxwell in federal court, did not respond to our request for comment.

Jeffrey Pagliuca’s lawyer wrote Maxwell a letter outlining possible defenses for the charges against her. The British socialite recruited four teenage girls to Epstein and abused them from 1994 to 2004. She also engaged in sex traficking with the fourth.

Maxwell (59) has pleaded guilty. The Wednesday hearing is for expert testimony. This trial may take up to six weeks and begins Nov. 29.

Epstein was a convicted of sex offences and committed suicide in Manhattan in August 2019. He was awaiting his trial for sex trafficking. According to a medical examiner, the suicide was not accidental.

Pagliuca stated that Dietz might also be able to testify as Epstein did, just like other people with great wealth and power. This could have allowed him to surround himself with those who would serve his needs.

The letter stated that “the materials reviewed reflect Jeffrey Epstein’s brilliant man but was flawed by enduring personality trait… found among people with antisocial and narcissistic borderline personality disorders”