Jeffrey Epstein's green massage table can send Ghislaine Maxwell to jail for 40 years, here's why
The verdict in Ghislaine Maxwell trial is expected any day now. The jury has heard the accounts of several victims and viewed key evidence material over a period of three weeks. Closing statements were made on December 20 and Assistant US Attorney Alison Moe brought back the attention on a green massage table that was produced in court early to be identified by police officers who had confiscated it from Jeffrey Epstein's Florida mansion. Moe circled back to the massage table on which Epstein abused several minor girls, on Monday in the closing argument while explaining the single charge of sex trafficking against Maxwell which carries a 40-year sentence.
Maxwell's accuser Carolyn testified in court that she was groped by the socialite while preparing to massage Epstein. New York Post states, because Carolyn was abused on the massage table that was made in California and then shipped to his mansion in Florida, this affects interstate commerce, according to Moe. “When she was abused on a massage table that was manufactured in California, that proves that there was at least a minimal effect on interstate commerce, which is all that’s required for this count,” Moe explained to the jurors in the closing statement. Maxwell's defense lawyer Bobbi Sternheim objected to Moe's portrayal of the table affecting interstate commerce which was overruled by Judge Alison Nathan.
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Prosecutor Andrew Rohrbach countered Sternheim's objection in court on Monday saying, "Of course, the massage table was used in the course of the crime here." Before coming to a decision, jurors will also need to consider other elements required to convict Maxwell on the sex trafficking count. This includes determining if Maxwell knew Carolyn was under 18, determining if she was recruited on purpose because she was underage, and if she is responsible for Carolyn being engaged in a "commercial sex act", according to Moe.
The dark green collapsible table was recovered from Epstein's Palm Beach mansion during a search warrant executed in October 2005. Former Palm Beach police officer Gregory Parkinson who was there during the search op was questioned by US Attorney Maurene Comey in court during the initial days of Maxwell's trial. Parkinson examined the table which stood in the middle of the courtroom and confirmed it was indeed the one they seized from Epstein's mansion on October 20, 2005. “It’s from the second-floor south bathroom, where the shower was,” he had said.