Maxwell jurors told they have to deliberate over New Year's, as COVID threatens to extend long trial

A New York judge Wednesday told jurors deliberating in the Ghislaine Maxwell sex-trafficking trial they will have to work through the New Year's holiday if they fail to reach a verdict in the next couple of days.

U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan's decision follows her expressing concerns Tuesday about the escalating number of COVID-19 cases further delaying a conclusion to the months-long trial and included her request for them to work at least an extra hour each day and every day through the week, according to the Associated Press. 

They received the judge's order in response to their question to her about whether they would have to work over the holiday weekend, a sign they are not close to a verdict for the 60-year-old Maxwell. The former British socialite is accused of recruiting and grooming underage girls for her and one-time boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse.

Epstein, a wealthy financier, died in a Manhattan jail in summer 2019 facing related charges.

Nathan sent them a note stating they will be required to work through the holiday unless any of them faced a "substantial hardship" because of immovable commitments, the wire service also reports. 

Defense lawyers say that Maxwell was made a scapegoat by the U.S. government after Epstein killed himself in the Manhattan federal jail.