Jeffrey Epstein sexually molested teenage girls, and Ghislaine Maxwell was found guilty of recruiting them. The 60-year-old British socialite and late billionaire financier Epstein's ex-girlfriend is now facing years in prison.
Between 1994 and 2004, she was accused of recruiting and grooming four youngsters for Epstein to molest in massage rooms at his different residences. During her three-week trial, Maxwell, who was described by the prosecution as "dangerous" and Epstein's "partner in crime," was found guilty on five of the six counts she was charged with.
Ghislaine Maxwell convicted of sex trafficking
Maxwell was convicted of conspiracy to persuade minor girls to be abused by Epstein, as well as transporting and sex trafficking them. She was found not guilty of enticing a child under the age of 17, an accuser known only as Jane, to travel with the intent to engage in illicit sexual behavior, Sky News reported.
According to that count, Jane was allegedly forced to go from Florida to Manhattan so that Epstein could have sex with her. Behind a black mask, Maxwell appeared to exhibit little expression as the judgments were read out in a federal court in New York. As the jury filed out, she stood with her hands folded and looked at her siblings as she was escorted from the courthouse.
Per The Scotsman via MSN, after the British socialite was convicted of bringing young girls to massage rooms for disgraced billionaire Jeffrey Epstein to molest, Ghislaine Maxwell's family announced that they had begun the appeal process.
During her three-week trial, the 60-year-old was dubbed "dangerous" by the prosecution for her role in luring vulnerable children to Epstein's different residences for him to sexually abuse between 1994 and 2004.
Maxwell was charged with six counts in total, including conspiring to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, enticing a minor to travel to engage in unlawful sex acts and conspiring to transport minors with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, according to the full indictment.
Maxwell family launches an appeal
Maxwell's family said they were "very disappointed" with the conviction and had already started the appeal process in a statement posted to Twitter early Thursday morning. Lisa Bloom, who represents a number of Ghislaine Maxwell's and Jeffrey Epstein's accusers, believes Maxwell's defense team has "no chance" of overturning the verdict.
In their opening arguments, prosecutors claimed that Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein set up a system of sexual abuse in which they used the deception of a massage and financial payments to entice teenage females into sexual encounters with Epstein.
Her defense has assailed the recollections and intentions of the women who claim they were molested, arguing that she is being made a scapegoat for Epstein's crimes. "Your honor, the government has not proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt, thus there is no need for me to testify," Maxwell told Judge Alison Nathan when asked if she understood her rights during the trial.
Epstein was indicted on federal sex trafficking charges in July 2019 after pleading guilty to state prostitution charges in 2008. He died by suicide in prison a month later. A year later, Maxwell was arrested, as per CNN.
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