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 Epstein's world

• 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.

That circle was the world of Maxwell's ex-boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced late financier who for years sexually abused teen girls. Some of his victims were as young as 14.