Ghislaine Maxwell is behind bars — the same place she’s been since her arrest in July 2020 — after a New York jury found her guilty on Wednesday of grooming youngsters for sexual assault at the hands of her longtime accomplice Jeffrey Epstein. Maxwell has been behind bars since her arrest in July 2020.
Maxwell was found guilty of five out of six sex trafficking-related counts, and if she receives the maximum term of 65 years, she would be imprisoned for the rest of her life. The date for sentence has not yet been established.
Maxwell’s refence attorneys have already stated that they intend to file an appeal against his conviction. After the verdict was announced, Bobbi Stroheim, a member of Maxwell’s defense team, stated that “This is why we are confident in Ghislaine’s innocence. We are quite dissatisfied with the outcome. We have already begun the process of filing an appeal, and we are optimistic that she will be vindicated as a result.”
Maxwell is still facing a second trial on two counts of perjury that were included in her initial indictment, which allege that she lied under oath about Epstein’s sexual assault as part of an accuser’s civil case against the wealthy financier in 2016. The case is currently ongoing.
The defence had earlier requested that the charges be tried separately, and the judge had approved their request. If she is found guilty of each perjury allegation, she faces a maximum sentence of five years in jail.
As a result of Epstein’s alleged misbehaviour, Maxwell was found guilty of conspiracy and transportation of a minor with the intent to engage in illegal sexual activity, charges that were brought against him. She was found not guilty on one count of enticing a minor to travel to another country in order to participate in illicit sex acts.
Epstein, a convicted sex offender with social ties to a wide range of business and political elites, died in his his cell at Manhattan’s Metropolitan Correctional Center on August 10, 2019, in what authorities determined to be a suicide.
A three-pronged strategy was employed by the defence to find holes in the different statements made by the accusers to government officials over the course of several years, and Maxwell was cast as a scapegoat as a result of Epstein’s passing. His death occurred while Epstein was in detention awaiting his own trial on allegations of sex trafficking at the time of his death.
In his opening statement at Maxwell’s trial, Sternheim told the jury, “This case is about memory, deception, and money.” The defence also emphasised how much money each woman received from the Epstein victims’ compensation fund, which was a significant point of contention.
After the decision was announced, Maxwell’s family issued a statement saying that they “firmly believe in our sister’s innocence.”
“We are quite dissatisfied with the outcome,” the family expressed their disappointment. It was started tonight, and we believe she will be vindicated in the end,” said the attorney general.
“Our next battle will be when we go for the Appeal – keep an eye on this space,” said a Ghislaine Maxwell Twitter account managed by her brothers and sisters on Thursday.
Survivors hailed the conviction as a significant step forward in the pursuit of justice. Annie Farmer, the accuser who testified at the trial and waived her right to remain anonymous, expressed relief and gratitude that the jury “recognised the pattern of predatory behaviour that Maxwell engaged in for years and found her guilty of these crimes.” Maxwell was sentenced to prison after being found guilty of the crimes.
“She has inflicted harm to many more women than the few of us who were given the opportunity to testify in court,” Farmer said in a statement. “I hope that this verdict provides comfort to everyone who is in need of it and serves as a reminder that no one is above the law. Even individuals who hold positions of immense power and privilege will be held accountable if they sexually abuse or exploit children or adolescents.”
Other accusers, such as Virginia Robert Giuffre, have pointed out that others who assisted in Epstein’s actions over a period of years have not yet been brought to court. “I hope that this is not the end, but rather a new beginning in the process of justice being served,” she expressed hope. “Maxwell did not behave in a vacuum. Others need to be held accountable as well. I have confidence in their ability to do so.”
She was neither a witness in the government’s case, nor was she identified as a victim, but her name had come up multiple times in court during the proceedings.
Christian Everdell, a defence attorney for Maxwell, asked further time on Wednesday to consult with colleagues defence attorneys Sternheim, Laura Menninger, and Jeffrey Pagliuca before submitting a sentencing plan to the court. Judge Alison Nathan did not specify how much time they had to file that schedule, but she did order that the production of the presentence report be postponed until that time was provided.
What Nathan and defence attorney Sternheim did agree on, however, was that Maxwell should be provided with a coronavirus vaccination booster shot as soon as possible. Judge Nathan assured Sternheim that she had asked that same morning and confirmed that the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where Maxwell will be detained, has boosters available for him and his children.
