Ghislaine Maxwell, charged with child sex trafficking, is anticipated to take the stand and defend herself in her upcoming trial, starting Monday.
The Daily Mail reports that a source close to Maxwell contends, "Ghislaine is absolutely prepared to take the stand. She is prepared to do whatever it takes to save her own life."
The 59-year-old Maxwell faces life in prison for aiding former associate Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted pedophile, in the procurement of underage girls for sex trafficking.
Sources close to Maxwell have affirmed that the British socialite would likely take the stand, a unique circumstance in sexual abuse cases. Usually, the New York Post reports, defendants in sexual abuse cases "do not testify, instead opting to let the prosecution prove its case."
But sources close to Maxwell insist "she has never shied away from the truth and she is looking forward to her day in court."
"Ghislaine is not over-confident by any means but she knows she is telling the truth," they added.
"She has no fear about getting in the witness box."
Maxwell has not been offered a plea deal, and her trial starts with opening arguments on Monday.
She has declared to the Daily Mail that she is "innocent."
Maxwell has been held in Brooklyn federal lockup since her arrest at her New Hampshire mansion in 2020.
Maxwell's family has pleaded from the start that Ghislaine is innocent. Her brother Ian has also maintained that she will be exonerated.
"[Epstein]," her brother Ian said, "was clearly a master manipulator who has ruined many lives and continues to do so long after his death. This makes his crimes particularly reprehensible."
Epstein was found unconscious in his prison cell in August of 2019. Some reports have stated that he killed himself by suicide.
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