Ghislaine Maxwell, 60, was arrested on July 2, 2021, for federal sex trafficking charges involving minors. Maxwell was very close with the now deceased convicted sex offender Jeffery Epstein. Authorities said Maxwell helped groom teenage girls, some as young as 14, and convince them to do sexual favors for Epstein.
Epstein died of an apparent suicide in Aug. of 2021 in his jail cell, a month after being convicted on counts of federal sex trafficking charges.
Maxwell’s own trial began on Nov. 29, 2021, in New York City. The jury was made up of six men and six women. During the trial four of Epstein’s victims came forward and explained how Maxwell had a significant part in grooming them, along with facilitating the abuse and would sometimes participate.
On Dec. 29 of last year, the Jury found Maxwell guilty of 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 found her not guilty on one charge, which was enticing a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts.
Attorney David Boies, who was representing the victim Virginia Roberts Giuffre, called it, “a great day for justice and for Maxwell’s survivors. The jury’s verdict vindicates the courage and commitment of our clients who stood up against all odds for many years to bring Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell to justice.”
Maxwell and her Attorney Bobbi C. Sternheim and her lawyers continue to believe in her innocence and are supposedly working on her appeal.
Annie Farmer, one of the four victims who testified, said “I am so relieved and grateful that the jury recognized the pattern of predatory behavior that Maxwell engaged in for years and found her guilty of these crimes,” she said. “She has caused hurt to many more women than the few of us who had the chance to testify in the courtroom.”
She is currently in prison in New York but could end up in Connecticut federal prison that will be like ‘Disneyland’ in comparison, some experts say.
Marquie Peyton
Intern