By Luc Cohen

NEW YORK, (Reuters) – A jury may decide whether Ghislaine Maxill’s sex abuse case will consider whether she “consciously avoided” knowing about Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged interactions with teenager girls. This was the verdict of the judge.

Maxwell (59) is facing eight counts of sexual trafficking as well as other charges.

Prosecutors claim Maxwell mentored and recruited four teenage girls to sexually contact the financier, between 1994-2004. The trial heard three witnesses that Maxwell inappropriately touched their teenage selves.

The case’s closing arguments are scheduled to start on Monday. U.S. district judge Alison Nathan will then provide instructions to the jury before deliberations can begin.

Maxwell has pleaded guilty to the charges, but her attorneys claim she is making a scapegoat for Epstein’s suicide in Manhattan in 2019. He was awaiting his trial on sexual abuse allegations. The lawyers sought to discredit Epstein who Maxwell dated for many decades.

Maxwell’s defense resisted a proposal that instructed the jury to convict Maxwell in case they find she had deliberately ignored Epstein’s crimes.

The prosecutors had elicited evidence from two women that Maxwell was involved in Epstein’s alleged actions. Therefore, they argued that the jury could not also hear that Maxwell “conscious avoidance” is proof of guilt.

Christian Everdell Maxwell attorney stated, “This appears to be here in some way as a backup option.” The theory that they are pursuing is that she is active in the process. It’s impossible for them to have both.

Nathan stated that the defense implied that Maxwell was aware of Epstein’s alleged conduct in their Nov. 29 opening statements. It would therefore be fair for the jury to receive the instruction.