maxwell
NEW YORK (AP) — The British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell has been convicted of helping lure teenage girls to be sexually abused by the late Jeffrey Epstein. The verdict announced Wednesday capped a month-long trial featuring accounts of the sexual exploitation of girls as young as 14.
Jurors deliberated for five full days before finding Maxwell guilty of every count except one. She faces years in prison. It’s an end long sought by women who spent years fighting to hold Maxwell accountable for abusing them. Her lawyers said she’s being used as a scapegoat for crimes committed by Epstein, who killed himself in 2019.
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 attorneys patted her back. She stood with her hands folded as the jury filed out and glanced at her siblings — faithfully in attendance each day of the trial — as she herself 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.
No sentencing date was set.
