Ghislaine Maxwell's 'Little Black Book' of Prominent Figures' Contacts to Remain Sealed During Trial

After the prosecution's case wrapped up on Friday, Ghislaine Maxwell's legal team is set to begin their arguments this week, reportedly planning to hear from as many as 35 witnesses in just a couple of days.

Ghislaine Maxwell's notorious "little black book", which is said to contain thousands of addresses and the contact info of celebrities, politicians, and world leaders, will not be revealed to the public during her sex trafficking trial, The Telegraph has reported.

The decision to not make the book public was reportedly made by both legal teams, with the two parties and the jury only able to view a small excerpt from it. Per The Telegraph, it has been dubbed "Exhibit GX52", and was earlier mentioned by the prosecution after Judge Alison Nathan warned against "needless" name-dropping.

"It is not being offered for the truth of the matters asserted therein, and you may not consider it for that purpose", read a letter from US Attorney Damian Williams to Judge Nathan. "Rather, you may consider it only to the extent you believe it is relevant to show a link, if any, between Ms Maxwell and the names and phone numbers listed and how, if at all, the information was organised".

The book in its entirety is said to be 91 pages of movers and shakers around the world. Initially anticipated to be an explosive piece of evidence in the sex trafficking case, the document is understood to include the names of Prince Andrew and former US presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton.

The judge and the two sides agreed that only a small portion of the book is to be released over the weekend, with the defence arguing that there was no proof that it was one of those books mentioned in the testimony of Juan Alessi, a former house manager at Epstein's Florida estate. He earlier said that such books were commonly used by Ms Maxwell and others to book massages from young girls.

Maxwell's defence is due to kick off on Friday, and may potentially be larger than that presented by the prosecution, as reports said her team plans to hear from 35 witnesses. Some observers have already suggested this means that Maxwell is most likely not going to offer any evidence, since all witnesses are expected to deliver their testimonies in two or three days - given that the prosecution called a total of 24 individuals over the course of two weeks.

The defence team has also reportedly requested that some witnesses be given a chance to testify anonymously, noting that the court's decision on that request could "impact the willingness of these witnesses to testify, thereby compromising Ms Maxwell's right to present her defence".

Maxwell faces six sex trafficking charges, which, if she is found guilty, could see her jailed for up to 80 years. She denies the accusations of procuring and molesting minors, with her legal team claiming that she is being scapegoated for the late Jeffrey Epstein's wrongdoings.