The stage was set for Ghislaine Maxwell’s trial in 1991, after she met Jeffrey Epstein

Testimony during the case has painted a dramatic and intimate picture of Maxwell’s life at the center of Jeffrey Epstein’s world

Undated handout file photo issued by US Department of Justice of Ghislaine Maxwell with Jeffrey Epstein, which was shown to the court during the sex trafficking trial of Maxwell in the Southern District of New York. Picture: US Department of Justice/PA Wire

- Warning: This article contains descriptions of sexual abuse 

For years, Ghislaine Maxwell operated in a social circle of the global elite so exclusive that its powerful members seemed insulated from meaningful scrutiny.