Epstein's shadow looms over jury selection in Maxwell sex crimes trial

FILE PHOTO: Ghislaine Maxwell, the Jeffrey Epstein associate accused of sex trafficking, is led into court in shackles for a pre-trial hearing ahead of jury selection, expected to begin later in the week, in a courtroom sketch in New York City, U.S., November 1, 2021. REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg/File Photo

NEW YORK (Reuters) - It has been two years since Jeffrey Epstein hanged himself in a Manhattan jail cell, but the publicity surrounding the deceased financier will make it tough to find an unbiased jury for former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell's upcoming sex abuse trial, according to legal experts.

Prospective jurors on Thursday will begin filling out a 24-page questionnaire in federal court in Manhattan to assess whether they can fairly judge Maxwell, a British socialite who U.S. prosecutors say recruited and groomed underage girls for Epstein to abuse.