By Luc Cohen

NEW YORK (Reuters – The closing arguments of Ghislaine Maxwell’s trial are scheduled to begin on Monday. Before the jury considers whether Jeffrey Epstein abused the teenage girls, the jury will decide.

Maxwell, who is 59 years old, has been charged with eight counts each of sextrafficking and related crimes. Prosecutors claim that she recruited, groomed and paid for erotic massaging to Epstein by bribing four teenage girls.

Elle pleaded guilty and indicated that on Friday she will not testify, stating that prosecutors had not proved their case beyond a reasonable doubt.

Jurors were able to hear from four different women during two weeks of witness testimony. They described Maxwell’s role in arranging the sexual relationships that they said had been established with Epstein when they were teenagers. Jane and Carolyn were both 14 years when Epstein began to abuse them.

Alison Moe, the Prosecutor is expected to return to their emotionally charged and sometimes explicit testimony in her concluding argument.

Moe is likely to refer to Carolyn’s testimony that Maxwell paid her to give Epstein sexual massages. This could prove crucial in the prosecution’s case against Maxwell.

Laura Menninger from Maxwell is expected to answer the accusations by challenging their credibility. Defense has repeatedly claimed that Maxwell’s accusers have corrupted their memories over the years and are motivated to indict Maxwell.

Maxwell’s attorneys claim that Maxwell is being used as an example for Epstein. He committed suicide in New York City in 2019, while waiting to be tried on sexual abuse charges.

Jeffrey Pagliuca from Maxwell stated Saturday that the defense will argue Jane was younger than she claims she is at the time of the sexual encounters with Epstein and Maxwell had “never had any to do with Carolyn.”