(Photo : Photo by Laura Cavanaugh/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 20: Ghislaine Maxwell attends day 1 of the 4th Annual WIE Symposium at Center 548 on September 20, 2013 in New York City.
Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend of the late disgraced financier, Jeffrey Epstein, has been found guilty by a jury that unanimously convicted her of five of six counts for her role in the sexual abuse of minor girls between 1994 and 2004.
The 60-year-old suspect was found guilty of the following federal charges, sex trafficking of a minor, transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, and three related counts of conspiracy. The jury acquitted Maxwell on the charge of enticing a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts.
Ghislaine Maxwell Found Guilty
The suspect, who now faces up to 65 years in prison if she is ordered to serve the sentences consecutively, did not show any sort of reaction when the jury read the verdicts. Judge Alison Nathan also did not set a sentencing date for Maxwell.
In a statement, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said that the road to justice had been too long. He also commended the bravery of the girls that testified against Maxwell. Williams said that the victims' courage and willingness to face their abuser made the case and the verdict possible, CNN reported.
The jury spent six days of deliberations while taking a break for Christmas before deciding on the verdict against the British socialite. They sent more than a dozen notes and requested the testimony of all four girls that accused Maxwell, as well as the testimonies of other witnesses. The panel also asked for office supplies, such as Post-it notes, with paper board and highlighters.
Sex Trafficking Crimes
Prosecutors argued that the British socialite was involved in Epstein's sex trafficking ring by acting as the millionaire's madam, where she recruited and trained four women when they were teenagers. In closing statements, Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison Moe said Maxwell was "dangerous." She said that the disgraced financier's former girlfriend manipulated her victims and groomed them, causing lasting harm to minor girls.
Moe called the British socialite a "sophisticated predator" who committed "horrifying crimes" targeting young girls. During the trial, three of the women, Jane, Kate, and Carolyn testified under pseudonyms or their first names to protect their privacy. However, the fourth, Annie Farmer, testified under her real name, Fox News reported.
The verdict came after Maxwell refused to testify in court at her trial, arguing that there was not sufficient evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. The defense's first witness was Cimberly Espinosa, who worked as an executive assistant for Epstein and Maxwell. She helped manage the disgraced financier's real estate holdings in the mid-1990s and early 2000s.
In her testimony, Espinosa said that she "highly respected Ghislaine" and said that she looked up to the British socialite. The witness said that when she started working for the two, they were still a couple and called in a "loving relationship." However, by the time that Espinosa left her job, the two had broken up and grown apart. She added that Maxwell had already stopped coming to the office as much and started dating other men, WGLT reported.
