At the end of several days of deliberation, the jurors of a New York court recognized, Wednesday, December 29, the former British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell of a series of sex crimes, in particular of trafficking in young underage girls for the benefit of the former American financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Incarcerated in a New York prison since the summer of 2020, Mme Maxwell, aged 60, was tried since November 29 by the Manhattan federal court for having provided, between the years 1994 and 2004, minors to her former companion for him to sexually abuse. She was charged with six crimes, all related to sexual violence committed by Jeffrey Epstein. She faces decades in prison.
After forty hours of deliberations over five days, “A jury unanimously found Ghislaine Maxwell guilty of one of the worst crimes imaginable – facilitate and take part in the sexual assault of children ”Manhattan Federal District Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement. Those “Crimes were perpetrated with his partner and lifelong accomplice, Jeffrey Epstein”, who committed suicide in a New York prison in August 2019, before being tried for sex crimes.
“The path to righteousness has taken too long. But justice has been served today ”, welcomed the prosecutor, greeting the “Courage of the girls – become women ”, four victims who testified for three weeks against Mr.me Maxwell.
“Right arm” by Jeffrey Epstein
The deliberations were long because the jurors could not all agree on the guilt or innocence of this woman with triple British, French and American nationality. The twelve jurors asked to have in hand the transcripts of several interrogations, including those of several victims.
This international jet set regular, daughter of media mogul Robert Maxwell, who died in 1991, was portrayed by prosecutor Alison Moe in “Sophisticated predator” and key figure in the system set up with Jeffrey Epstein, of which she was the “Partner in love” and ” the right arm “.
One of the victims, “Carolyn”, recounted how she was paid, from the age of 14, $ 300 for each massage; which always ended with a sexual act. She named Ghislaine Maxwell as one of the women who set the dates and assured that she had seen her naked and touched her breast in the Palm Beach villa. Another victim, “Jane” had recounted how the couple approached and put her at ease, promising to help this young girl from a disadvantaged family in Palm Beach.
On the contrary, the defense pleaded acquittal, assuring that there was no “No proof that Ghislaine Maxwell” recruited only one of the four victims to deliver it to Jeffrey Epstein and lambasted “Very bad and variable memory” accusers about events more than 25 years old.