NEW YORK (NewsNation) — The attorney for imprisoned British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell defended his client, claiming she was never mentioned in the indictment against Jeffrey Epstein and questioned the motives of the women and girls who accused the late financier of abuse.
“Her name was nowhere (and she was) was never mentioned,” attorney Arthur Aidala told “Morning in America.”
A U.S. appeals court on March 12 appeared resistant to overturning Maxwell’s 2021 conviction for helping Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls.
Aidala said he doesn’t think Maxwell got a fair trial and says she didn’t testify because she was treated poorly.
“She did not get a fair trial,” he said. “The prosecutor was allowed to put in any evidence they wanted. And the defense was so limited in the evidence that they were allowed to put in.”
The 2nd Circuit waited to rule on Maxwell’s appeal and could take months to issue a decision.
Maxwell, 62, is serving a 20-year prison sentence after being convicted on five charges for having recruited and groomed four underage girls for Epstein, once her boyfriend, to abuse between 1994 and 2004.
In the meantime, the Epstein associate is being housed at a low-security prison in Tallahassee, Florida. She is eligible for release in July 2037.
Aidala said his client has become a popular inmate.
“I could tell you that she is a very popular inmate,” said Aidala. “And I know that sounds weird or odd. But she’s very well-liked. One of the reasons why she’s very well-liked is Ghislaine speaks, I think five languages. She speaks Spanish very well. And there are a lot of Spanish women who are incarcerated and a lot of them who need help with their cases or, you know?”
Dozens of women and girls accused Epstein of sexual abuse or exploitation. Aidala, however, said “at least one” person said being “with Jeffrey Epstein was the greatest time in my life.”
“There’s at least one, if not more than one, who said, ‘The time I spent with Jeffrey Epstein was the greatest time of my life. These are women who are in their 40s now, and they’re saying when they were in their early 20s, when I was with Jeffrey Epstein, that was the greatest time in my life.”
Aidala also questioned the motives of the women and girls who accused Epstein of abuse.
“It’s just interesting that they didn’t say a word for I don’t know, 15 years, 20 years; they didn’t they didn’t complain,” said Aidala. “They didn’t say a word. Then, all of a sudden, they were in a position to get money. I’ve seen this over and over. We all have seen this over and over again. So there’s always a financial element.”
Twenty-three women came forward on Aug. 27, 2019 to give statements accusing Epstein of sexual abuse. They were allowed to speak before a court before charges against Epstein were dismissed. He died by suicide on Aug. 10.
Aidala, who has appeared on NewsNation before, again declined to say whether he believed Epstein’s death was indeed a suicide.
“I need to go back to her (Maxwell) and just make sure that she’s cool with me revealing everything that that she has told me I’m allowed to say publicly,” Aidala said.