Dec. 17 (UPI) — Defense attorneys rested their case Friday after British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell told the judge in her sex-trafficking case that she wouldn’t testify because prosecutors failed to prove their case.
U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan told Maxwell, 59, she had the right to testify in her own defense during proceedings in New York City.
“Your honor, the government has not proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt, and so there is no need for me to testify,” Maxwell said in court, according to The Washington Post.
Maxwell stands accused of acting as an intermediary between financier Jeffrey Epstein and multiple underage girls who said the latter sexually abused them. Prosecutors last week called four women who accused of Maxwell of arranging for them to spend time with Epstein.
Earlier Friday, the defense called Eva Andersson-Dubin, a former Miss Sweden who dated Epstein from 1983 to about 1990, to the stand. She said she later married a hedge fund manager with whom she shares three children. The Durbins remained friendly with Epstein.
Andersson-Dubin said she felt comfortable with her children being around Epstein and she never observed any inappropriate conduct, according to The Guardian.
The defense rested its case one week after prosecutors rested theirs, meaning closing arguments were scheduled to begin next week.
She pleaded not guilty to charges she procured underage girls for Epstein, her former boyfriend. She faces up to 70 years in prison if convicted on all counts. Epstein died in jail in August 2019 while awaiting trial on similar charges.
