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Ghislaine Maxwell pleads NOT GUILTY to new sex trafficking charges in New York court
23 Apr, 2021 19:31
Ghislaine Maxwell at an event in 2013, seen alongside a booking photo of Jeffrey Epstein
© AFP / Laura Cavanaugh and New York State Sex Offender Registry
Ghislaine Maxwell, the disgraced socialite and former girlfriend of deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking charges that allege she trafficked a 14-year-old girl for Epstein to abuse.
The two new trafficking charges were added to the indictment against Maxwell last month, bringing to eight the number of charges against her. At a brief hearing in New York on Friday, Maxwell pleaded not guilty.
The arraignment was Maxwell’s first time in person before the court since she was arrested last July. She has been denied bail, though her lawyers have repeatedly challenged this refusal, claiming that Maxwell is being held in unduly harsh conditions. Her Brooklyn jail sits just across the East River from the Manhattan facility where Epstein died in August 2019, in a suspicious death ruled a suicide.
According to the new charges, Maxwell allegedly called the 14-year-old girl to schedule sexual encounters with Epstein at his Palm Beach mansion and paid her hundreds of dollars in cash for each trip. The accused “sought to normalize inappropriate behavior and abusive conduct by, among other things, discussing sexual topics in front of (the victim) and being present when (the victim) was nude in the massage room of the Palm Beach residence,” the updated indictment said.
In addition to the sex trafficking charges, Maxwell is accused of conspiracy to entice minors, conspiracy to transport minors, and perjury. She faces 80 years behind bars if found guilty on all counts.
Though Maxwell’s lawyers have repeatedly attempted to delay the start of her trial, Judge Alison Nathan said on Friday that "everyone should assume” a start date in July, without making a ruling on that issue.
Sir Ron Brierley back before Sydney court on child sex image charges
ANDREW MACFARLANE, 1 NEWS
Disgraced New Zealand businessman Sir Ron Brierley’s case on child sex image charges was back in a Sydney court this morning.
Brierley appeared at the District Court in Sydney’s Dowling Centre via video link, however was sitting off camera, so couldn’t be seen.
Brierley was arrested in 2016 at Sydney Airport as he was about to board a flight to Fiji.
One charge lists him as having 1615 images on a data storage device, although the exact number is being disputed.
Today’s appearance was mainly for administrative purposes, as the exact details of some charges are still being disputed.
Brierley’s lawyer, Lisa-Claire Hutchinson, reaffirmed the guilty plea this morning.
However, she said Brierley’s legal team and the Crown prosecutor needed a formal meeting to agree on the facts of the case. She told the court the disputes are minimal, and it’s likely the two parties will agree.
Brierley’s case is due to be called again on May 21, with a sentencing date due sometime later this year.
Brierley rose to prominence in the 1980s and 1990s in the business world, and in 2019 was estimated by the NBR to have a net worth of around $220 million.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has begun moves to strip him of his knighthood and the Prime Minister’s office this week said that process is ongoing.
‘19 Kids and Counting’ reality star Josh Duggar charged
with possessing child pornography
30 Apr, 2021 20:49
Former reality television star Josh Duggar appeared in court after being arrested by Homeland Security where he pleaded not guilty to charges of receiving and possessing child pornography.
After pleading not guilty to the charges at a hearing at the US District Court for the Western District of Arkansas via Zoom due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Duggar’s attorneys released a statement promising to “defend this case aggressively.”
“In this country, no one can stop prosecutors from charging a crime. But when you're accused, you can fight back in the courtroom – and that is exactly what Josh intends to do,” Justin Gelfand, Travis W. Story and Greg Payne said in a joint statement.
Duggar, 33, was arrested by Homeland Security on Thursday and held without bail in Arkansas. If convicted, Duggar could face 20 years behind bars, as well as fines of up to $250,000 for each of his two charges.
The ‘19 Kids and Counting’ star will continue to be held in an Arkansas detention center awaiting a bond hearing. If he is given bail, US Chief Magistrate Judge Erin L. Wiedemann made it clear he would need to be in a residence without any minors present. His actual trial will begin in July.
This is not Duggar’s first controversy involving allegations of sexual misconduct against minors. In 2015, he apologized for “wrongdoing” after a 2006 police report came to light and revealed he had been investigated as a teen for inappropriately touching multiple underage girls. It later came to light that four of the victims had been his sisters.
Later that same year, Duggar made another public apology after it was revealed he was using the site Ashley Madison, which helps facilitate extramarital affairs. Duggar admitted to cheating on his wife after developing an addiction to pornography. He said he had “re-broken” the trust of his family and fans.
“I am so ashamed of the double life that I have been living and am grieved for the hurt, pain and disgrace my sin has caused my wife and family, and most of all Jesus and all those who profess faith in Him,” he said at the time. “I brought hurt and a reproach to my family, close friends and the fans of our show with my actions that happened when I was 14-15 years old, and now I have re-broken their trust.”
To make the year even worse, Duggar was later accused by model and porn star Danica Dillon of assault after he allegedly propositioned her for sex inside a Philadelphia strip club. Dillon claimed she was paid $1,500 for sex with Duggar, but he went on to “assault” her and cause physical injuries. She claimed she felt like “she was being raped.” Duggar denied the allegation, and Dillon went on to drop her lawsuit, but she has maintained that the reality star physically abused her.
‘19 Kids and Counting’ was canceled in 2015 following the controversies. The show centered on the Duggar family, which includes 19 children, Josh Duggar being the oldest. A spin-off, ‘Counting On’, followed the cancellation.
Duggar’s arrest this week came on the heels of news that his wife, Anna, is pregnant with their seventh child.
Duggar’s parents, Jim Bob and Michelle, released a statement on Friday reacting to the news of their son’s arrest and said it is their “prayer that the truth, no matter what it is, will come to light, and that this will all be resolved in a timely manner.”
It seems he is incapable of saying 'no' to himself. Self-discipline is a requirement of Christianity; one can hardly have a relationship with Jesus Christ without it.
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