Ghislaine Maxwell captured global attention as she was tried and convicted of recruiting and grooming young girls for her “partner in crime” Jeffrey Epstein in a five-week sex-trafficking trial late last year.
But as she returns to a Manhattan federal courthouse on Tuesday to hear her lawyers make a last-ditch bid to have those charges dismissed, her presence will be overshadowed by a 35-year-old man known only by his first names who played a key role in finding her guilty.
Juror 50, identified in interviews by the name Scotty David, has been called to testify about whether he lied during pre-trial questionnaire which asked potential jurors if they had been victims of sexual abuse.
Maxwell’s lawyers have argued that the failure to disclose his history, which he later discussed in media interviews, was grounds for the convictions to be dismissed and a retrial to be ordered.
The juror has indicated through his attorney Todd Spodek he would invoke the 5th Amendment, to avoid self-incrimination.
Prosecutors have said they will offer immunity from prosecution, which could compel him to answer questions fully.
