Ghislaine Maxwell Found Guilty in All but One Charge in Sex Trafficking Trial
The Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse is seen in Manhattan as the jury deliberates in the case against Ghislaine Maxwell on December 21, 2021 in New York City. The 59-year-old Maxwell is accused of helping the financier Jeffrey Epstein recruit and sexually abuse four underage girls for years. If convicted the British socialite could face up to 80 years in prison. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

The U.S. jury had found Ghislaine Maxwell guilty on five of six counts of her sex trafficking trial, putting a conclusion to the trial.

The 60-year-old socialite was accused of recruiting and grooming teenagers for Jeffrey Epstein between 1994 and 2004, according to a Reuters report.

Maxwell pulled down her face mask and poured herself a glass of water after the verdict was read.

She was acquitted of one count of enticing a minor to travel across state lines to engage in an illegal sexual act.

Meanwhile, Epstein killed himself in 2019 in a Manhattan jail cell while awaiting trial on sex abuse charges of his own.

Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, welcomed the verdict, saying in a statement that Maxwell was convicted of "one of the worst crimes imaginable."

Williams said that justice has been done, commending the bravery of the women who came forward.

Maxwell's defense lawyer Bobbi Sternheim said that Epstein's death left an unresolved pursuit of justice and Maxwell was filling that empty chair.

Ghislaine Maxwell Sex Trafficking Trial

The case was widely watched by the public, being Epstein never made it to court as he was found dead in his jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting his trial.

Maxwell left the room quickly without speaking to her lawyers after the jurors filed out of the courtroom, according to The New York Times report.

Two of the women had testified that Epstein started performing sexual acts with them when they were only 14 years old.

One said that Maxwell was sometimes present in the encounters, while the other noted that Maxwell had molested her directly by touching her breasts.

Prosecutor Alison Moe told the jury in closing arguments that Maxwell was a "sophisticated predator" who knew exactly what she was doing.

One lawyer for Maxwell, Laure Menninger, told the jury that the government wants the jury to speculate over and over, adding that Maxwell's relationship with Epstein was the "biggest mistake of her life," but was not a crime.

Charges against Maxwell included conspiracy to entice minor to travel in interstate commerce with intent to engage in illegal sexual activity; transportation of an individual under the age of 17 with intent to engage in illegal sexual activity; as well as, conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of individuals under the age of 18, according to The Guardian report.

Dave Aronberg, the state attorney in Palm Beach County, Florida, where Epstein had a luxury estate, commented on the verdict.

Aronberg said that Maxwell "just got what was coming to her." He also noted how crucial Maxwell's role in luring underage girls into Epstein's life of sexualized massages and abuse.

A crowd of around 200 gathered at the grand steps of the federal courthouse in lower Manhattan; all waiting for statements from those who were involved in and attended the trial.

The jury rejected Maxwell's claims that her accusers were making allegations against her as a form of exploitation of position and wealth for money. Maxwell's team had also claimed that accusers were lying about her being involved in their abuse.

The judge also slammed the defense's claims that she was being prosecuted as a scapegoat for Epstein's crimes.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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