The prosecution and defense in the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell have agreed that her “little black book” of contacts will never be made public even though the jury was allowed to see part of it.
Judge Alison Nathan ruled at Manhattan federal court that a only limited amount of material from the British socialite’s contacts book would be released under seal.
Maxwell, 59, is accused of procuring, grooming and trafficking young girls for sexual abuse by the paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein from 1994 to 2004. She has pleaded not guilty but faces decades in prison if convicted.
The 97-page book, containing the names and contact details of almost 2,000 people including world leaders, celebrities and businessmen, was published by Gawker, a news website, in 2015, with some redactions. It has long been a topic of fascination for the insight it provided into the social circles in which Maxwell and Epstein moved.
Associates included the Duke of York, who has denied allegations that he was involved in sexual abuse, Bill Clinton, Victoria’s Secret founder Les Wexner, Big Tech CEO's, Silicon Valley Venture Capitalists, Scientists, "philanthropists" and many other high profile scoundrels.