Ghislaine Maxwell, the former British socialite, was found guilty of sex trafficking on Wednesday afternoon in a New York federal court after it returned to deliberations following the Christmas Holiday break.
It has been more than two years since her longtime companion, Jeffrey Epstein, committed suicide behind bars. Maxwell was originally arrested in July 2020 and charged with involvement in Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse of teenage girls, some as young as fourteen years of age.
Maxwell was convicted on five of the six charges against her. She was found guilty of sex trafficking, conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of individuals under the age of 18, conspiracy to entice individuals under the age of 17 to travel in interstate commerce with intent to engage in illegal sexual activity, conspiracy to transport individuals under the age of 17 to travel in interstate commerce with intent to engage in illegal sexual activity, and transportation of an individual under the age of 17 with the intent to engage in illegal sexual activity.
“The road to justice has been far too long. But today, justice has been done. I want to commend the bravery of the girls, now grown women, who stepped out of the shadows and into the courtroom,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams. “Their courage and willingness to face their abuser made this case, and today’s result, possible.” The trial was originally intended to take six weeks, but the prosecution rested much earlier than expected.
Maxwell declined to testify during the trial and pleaded not guilty before it began, denying having done anything wrong. Prosecutors alleged that she played a “key role” in a sex trafficking scheme that spanned across multiple states and in which she “enticed and groomed multiple minor girls to engage in sex acts with Epstein” and was also “present for and involved” herself.
“I congratulate the prosecution team for delivering justice for the victims,” said former U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman. In 2019, Berman brought the original indictment against Epstein.
Even so, the Maxwell family stands behind Ghislaine. “We believe firmly in our sister’s innocence. We are very disappointed with the verdict,” they said in a statement. “We have already started the appeal tonight, and we believe that she will ultimately be vindicated.”