Ghislaine Maxwell convicted in Epstein sexual abuse case

British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell was on Wednesday indicted by US millionaire Jeffrey Epstein for sexually abusing teenage girls.

The verdict kicked off a month-long trial featuring gruesome accounts of the sexual abuse of girls as young as 14 by four women who lived as teens in the late 1990s and early 2000s at Epstein’s palatial homes in Florida, New York and New Mexico. as abuse was described.

The jurors deliberated for five full days before convicting Maxwell in five of the six cases. With maximum prison terms for each charge ranging from five to 40 years in prison, Maxwell likely faces years behind bars – an outcome long sought by women who have admitted to civil courts. and fought for years to hold them accountable for their role in the grooming. Epstein’s involvement in juvenile victimization and sometimes sexual abuse.

As the verdict was read, Maxwell was largely behind a black mask. Later, she could be seen pouring water herself as one of her lawyers patted her on the back. She stood with folded hands as the jury entered, and watched her siblings – in earnest attendance on each day of the trial – as she herself was led from the courtroom. Along the way she did not hug her lawyers, a notable change from the days before, during which Maxwell and her team were often physically affectionate with each other.

One of his victims, Annie Farmer, said she was grateful that the jury recognized Maxwell’s “pattern of predatory behavior”. “He has hurt many more women than some of us who had the chance to testify in court,” she said in a prepared statement. “I hope this verdict will bring solace to all who need it and shows that no one is above the law. Even those of great power and privilege will be held accountable when they are young. sexually abused and exploited.” US Attorney Damian Williams praised the victims who testified against Maxwell, which he called “one of the worst crimes ever.” “I want to commend the bravery of those girls – who is now grown – who stepped out of the shadows into the courtroom. His courage and willingness to face abuse made this case and the outcome possible today,” he said in a statement.

No sentencing date was set.

Defense had insisted that Maxwell was the victim of a retaliatory prosecution designed to bring justice to women deprived of his main villain when Epstein killed himself while awaiting trial in 2019.

Her brother, Kevin Maxwell, said the family believed he would be upheld on appeal. “We have full confidence in our sister’s innocence,” he said in a written statement.

During the trial, prosecutors called on 24 witnesses to give them a picture of life inside Epstein’s homes — a subject of public fascination and speculation since his 2006 arrest in Florida in a child sex case.

A housekeeper testified that he expected to be “blind, deaf and dumb” about the personal life of Epstein, a financier who cultivated friendships with influential politicians and business tycoons, and Maxwell, who led a jet-setting lifestyle. A media mogul who was led as a favorite kid.

The pilots took the stand of witness and dropped the names of veterans – Britain’s Prince Andrew, Bill Clinton, Donald Trump – who flew on Epstein’s private jet.

The jurors saw physical evidence such as a folding massage table used by Epstein and a “black book” that listed contact information for some of the victims under the heading “Massage”. Bank records showed he had transferred $30.7 million to Maxwell, his longtime partner – lifelong girlfriend, later an employee.

But the core of the prosecution was the testimony of four women who said they were victimized by Maxwell and Epstein at a young age.

Three testified using first names or pseudonyms to protect their privacy: Jane, a television actress; Kate, a former model from Great Britain; and Caroline, now a mother recovering from drug addiction. The fourth was Farmer, who chose to use his real name after being vocal about his allegations in recent years.

They echoed each other in their descriptions of Maxwell’s behavior: he used charms and gifts to gain her trust, took an interest in the challenges of his adolescence, and assured him that Epstein would pursue his dreams to fulfill his dreams. Can use money and connections.

He said that when Maxwell persuaded him to massage Epstein, who turned sexually, he said the script would be darkened: after a sexual massage, 17-year-old Kate said, Maxwell asked her what Will she have fun and tell him: “You are such a nice girl.” Carolyn testified that she was one of several underprivileged teens who lived near Epstein’s Florida home in the early 2000s and offered massages in exchange for $100 bills, which prosecutors called a “pyramid of abuse.” described in. Maxwell made all the arrangements, Caroline told the jury, even though she knew the girl was only 14 at the time.

Jane said that in 1994, when she was only 14, she was instructed to follow Epstein to a pool house at the Palm Beach estate, where he masturbated with her.

The two charges, including the single count of Maxwell’s acquittal, applied only to Jane.

“I was frozen in fear,” she told the jury, adding that the attack was the first time she had ever seen a penis. She directly accused Maxwell of participating in her abuse.

Maxwell’s lawyer asked Jane why it took so long to come forward.

“I was scared,” she said, choking back the tears. “I was embarrassed, embarrassed. I didn’t want anyone to know anything about me.” Farmer, who testified last, described how Maxwell touched her breasts while massaging Epstein’s New Mexico ranch, and how Epstein unexpectedly crawled into bed and pressed himself against her.

Maxwell, who turned 60 at Christmas, vehemently denied the allegations through her lawyers.

Still, she refused to take the risk of testifying, telling the judge: “The government has not proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt, so I have no reason to testify.” One of Maxwell’s attorneys, Bobby Sternheim, insisted to the jury, “The charges against Ghislaine Maxwell are for things that Jeffrey Epstein did.” “But he’s not Jeffrey Epstein and he’s not like Jeffrey Epstein.” Maxwell’s legal team questioned whether the accusers’ recollections were faulty, or influenced by lawyers seeking a large payment from Maxwell and from Epstein’s estate in civil court. During his two-day presentation, he called as a witness Elizabeth Loftus, a professor who has testified as a memory expert for defense attorneys in nearly 300 trials, including the rape trial of film mogul Harvey Weinstein.

Maxwell’s family complained that she was under pressure from the harsh conditions at the Brooklyn Jail, where she has been held since her arrest in July 2020. He repeatedly, and in vain, sought bail arguing that he was unable to make a substantial contribution to his defence.

Before Maxwell was taken to court, Sternheim asked him to arrange for a coronavirus booster shot, adding that the infection rate was rising dramatically in the lockdown. The recent surge threatened to derail the trial as US District Court Judge Alison J. Nathan exhorts jurors to act quickly to avoid the possibility of misconduct caused by ill jurors.

The legal battles involving Epstein and Maxwell are not over.

Maxwell is still awaiting trial on two counts of perjury.

The trial is ongoing, in which a woman who is not involved in the trial, Virginia Giuffre, says she was forced into sexual encounters with Prince Andrew when she was 17. Andrew has denied his account and the lawsuit is not expected to come to trial for several months.

Following Maxwell’s decision, Giuffre, through his lawyers, issued a statement saying, “I hope today is not the end, but one more step towards justice.”