Ghislaine Maxwell guilty of sex trafficking, other charges related to Jeffrey Epstein's abuse of girls
CBC
British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted on Wednesday by a New York federal court jury of luring teenage girls to be sexually abused by the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The verdict capped a month-long trial featuring sordid accounts of the sexual exploitation of girls as young as 14, told by four women who described being abused as teens in the 1990s and early 2000s at Epstein's palatial homes in Florida, New York and New Mexico.
Jurors deliberated for five full days before finding Maxwell guilty on five of six counts.
Maxwell was found guilty of sex trafficking of a minor, transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and three counts of conspiracy. She was acquitted on a charge of enticing a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts.
With the maximum prison terms for each charge ranging from five to 40 years in prison, Maxwell faces the likelihood of years behind bars — an outcome long sought by women who spent years fighting in civil courts to hold her accountable for her role in recruiting and grooming Epstein's teenage victims and sometimes joining in the sexual abuse.
As the verdict was read, Maxwell was largely stoic behind a black mask. Afterward, she could be seen pouring herself water as one of her lawyers patted her back. She stood with her hands folded as jurors filed out and glanced at her siblings — faithfully in attendance each day of the trial — as she was led from the courtroom.
She did not hug her lawyers on the way out, a marked change from previous days during which Maxwell and her team were often physically affectionate with one another.
One of her victims, Annie Farmer, said she was grateful the jury recognized Maxwell's "pattern of predatory behaviour."
"She has caused hurt to many more women than the few of us who had the chance to testify in the courtroom," Farmer said in a prepared statement. "I hope that this verdict brings solace to all who need it and demonstrates that no one is above the law. Even those with great power and privilege will be held accountable when they sexually abuse and exploit the young."
No sentencing date was set. Her lawyers said she's being used as a scapegoat for crimes committed by Epstein.
Maxwell pleaded not guilty to recruiting and grooming four teenagers for Epstein between 1994 and 2004. She also faces two perjury counts that will be tried separately.
Epstein, Maxwell's former boyfriend, killed himself in 2019 in a Manhattan jail cell while awaiting trial on sex abuse charges of his own.
Along with the trials of movie producer Harvey Weinstein and singer R. Kelly, Maxwell's case is among the highest-profile trials to take place in the wake of the #MeToo movement, which encouraged women to speak out about sexual abuse by famous and powerful people.
During the trial's closing arguments last week, a prosecutor said Maxwell was Epstein's "partner in crime."
