Ghislaine Maxwell found guilty of child sex trafficking charges

Jury finds Ghislaine Maxwell guilty on charges tied to Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking ring

A jury in New York on Wednesday convicted British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell of grooming minors for sexual abuse at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein. Maxwell was found guilty of five of the six federal counts related to Epstetin’s sex trafficking ring, Fox3 Now has learned.

Maxwell, 59, pleaded not guilty to the charges stemming from her interactions with four teenage girls from 1994 to 2004. During that span, Maxwell was romantically involved with and then later worked for Epstein. 

She stood with her hands folded as the jury filed out and glanced at her siblings as she was led from the courtroom.

The socialite now faces up to 65 years in jail, with the main charge for sex trafficking minors carrying a maximum sentence of 40 years.

The jury heard testimony from the four accusers at the center of the case. Three of them opted for anonymity, using either pseudonyms or first names only, and were known to the jury as Jane Doe, Kate and Carolyn. The final accuser to testify was Annie Farmer, who, along with her sister Maria Farmer, have been vocal about the sexual abuse they say each experienced at the hands of Epstein and Maxwell. The sisters were among the first women to report Epstein’s alleged sexual abuse to authorities.

In a statement after the verdict, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “A unanimous jury has found Ghislaine Maxwell guilty of one of the worst crimes imaginable – facilitating and participating in the sexual abuse of children. Crimes that she committed with her long-time partner and co-conspirator, Jeffrey Epstein.

“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.

“Their courage and willingness to face their abuser made this case, and today’s result, possible.

“I also want to thank the career prosecutors of the Southern District of New York, who embraced the victims’ quest for justice and have worked tirelessly, day in and day out, to ensure that Maxwell was held accountable for her crimes.

“This office will always stand with victims, will always follow the facts wherever they lead, and will always fight to ensure that no-one, no matter how powerful and well connected, is above the law.”

Federal prosecutors struck back at those accusations at trial, telling jurors that Maxwell covered for Epstein and “never thought teenage girls would stand up to them.”

“If money was all they wanted, they could have walked away when the check cleared,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey, daughter of former FBI Director James Comey.