NEW YORK (AP) — Prosecutors hope to preserve a July trial date for Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell by defending an expansion of charges against her. Prosecutors wrote to a judge Friday after a defense lawyer said a delay of the July 12 trial might be necessary. The defense says that is so it can fully investigate charges alleging Maxwell recruited teenage girls for Epstein to sexually abuse. Prosecutors say the expansion was needed when a woman came forward after Maxwell’s arrest. New trafficking charges last month expand the time frame of the charges from three years to a decade and the number of women who allege abuse from three to four.
