British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted Wednesday of luring teenage girls to be sexually abused by the American millionaire Jeffrey Epstein.
The verdict capped a monthlong trial featuring sordid accounts of the sexual exploitation of girls as young as 14, told by four women who described being abused as teens in the 1990s and early 2000s at Epstein’s palatial homes in Florida, New York, and New Mexico.
The verdict comes more than two years after Epstein took his own life while in jail awaiting trial on charges including conspiracy to traffic underage girls for sex. Maxwell’s trial provided an opportunity for the victims of Epstein and Maxwell to give court testimony about the abuse they experienced.
Maxwell, a socialite, has denied allegations from four women who say they were teens when she helped the wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse them. Her lawyers say she has been wrongly targeted by prosecutors intent on holding someone — anyone — accountable after Epstein killed himself while awaiting trial on related sex-abuse charges.
Jurors deliberated for five full days before finding Maxwell guilty of five of six counts. With the maximum prison terms for each charge ranging from five to 40 years in prison, Maxwell faces the likelihood of years behind bars — an outcome long sought by women who spent years fighting in civil courts to hold her accountable for her role in recruiting and grooming Epstein’s teenage victims and sometimes joining in the sexual abuse.
But what exactly was the case about? Let’s take a look.
Who are Ghislaine Maxwell’s accusers?
The prosecution, mounted by the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, hinges on the accusations of four women who say they were teenagers when Maxwell and Epstein sexually exploited them in the 1990s and early 2000s. Three testified under the pseudonyms Jane, Kate and Carolyn. One, Annie Farmer, decided to tell her story publicly.
What have Maxwell’s accusers said?
JANE
Jane spelled out an alleged pattern of deception by Maxwell that would be echoed by the others. She said she was 14 when she met Maxwell and Epstein at a music camp where Epstein was a benefactor.
Maxwell showered her with attention in a way that left her vulnerable the moment she was first instructed to follow Epstein into his pool house in his Palm Beach, Florida estate in 1994, she said.
When he began to sexually abuse her, “I was frozen in fear,” she said. “I’d never seen a penis before.”
Prosecutors wanted evidence that Maxwell was a direct participant. Jane gave it to them by claiming Maxwell and Epstein fondled her together.
When a prosecutor asked her why, as the defense pointed out, she didn’t initially reveal everything about her experiences with Epstein in initial interviews with law enforcement, she said fighting back tears: “Because it was too difficult — too difficult emotionally, too difficult on every level.”
KATE
Like the others, Kate recalled Maxwell praising and encouraging her, before Epstein sexually abused her during interactions that started in the early 1990s when she was 17.
The British woman described being intrigued by Maxwell, the daughter of a media mogul, and wanting to be her friend. She also testified about seeing Epstein naked for the first time after Maxwell stood next to him and asked her to massage him — and about feeling ashamed when it was over.
But there was a twist to her testimony when the judge ruled in favor of defense arguments that she shouldn’t be allowed to testify about details of any sexual contact with Epstein.
U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan set that limit on her testimony because she was 17 when she first interacted with Epstein in Maxwell’s London home — the minimum age of consent in Britain. The same applied to later visits to Epstein’s Florida home when she was 18.
Kate still may have struck a blow for the government with her account of an interaction with Maxwell after a sexual massage with Epstein.
Maxwell “asked me if I had fun” and told her: “You are such a good girl.”
CAROLYN
A key role for Carolyn was to provide testimony about what prosecutors called “a pyramid of abuse,” allegedly encouraged by Maxwell.
While 14, she was one of several underprivileged teens who lived near Epstein’s Florida home in the early 2000s. Word spread that he was offering $100 bills for massages.
When an older schoolmate offered an introduction, Carolyn said she took the bait. She testified she made her age known, but that didn’t dissuade Maxwell and Epstein, she said.
Epstein, she said, masturbated and fondled her “every time” they got together. He also wanted her to bring along “any friends that were my age or younger,” she said.
She said found a friend for a threesome with Epstein. When it was over, “I was paid $600 and my friend was paid $300.” Why? “Because I brought her.”
She would learn that she hit her expiration at age 18 when Epstein, rather than hire her for massages, asked her to bring younger girls.
“And that’s when I realized I was too old,” she said.
ANNIE FARMER
Farmer, now 42, is a psychologist who had told her story publicly before the trial through civil litigation against Epstein and in media interviews. She repeated how Epstein and Maxwell led her to believe they could be mentors, only to betray her trust.
On the stand, she walked the jury through her history with Epstein while 16 and in high school in 1996. She described how she was creeped out when Epstein held her hand at the movies in New York; when Maxwell touched her breasts while giving her a massage at Epstein’s New Mexico ranch; and when Epstein unexpectedly crawled into bed with her and pressed himself against her.
Feeling helpless, she made an excuse to go to the bathroom and hid there, thinking she “wanted to be in there long enough that this situation would be over,” she said.
The defence tried to rattle Farmer by suggesting she exaggerated her allegations in a $1.5 million claim awarded by a compensation fund set up for victims of Epstein by saying Maxwell had “groped” her and that Epstein had rubbed his genitals against her.
Farmer pushed back. Her goal all along, she said, was to see Maxwell “held accountable for the harm she’s caused.”
What was Ghislaine Maxwell up to before her arrest?
Maxwell was arrested in July 2020 — almost a year after Epstein killed himself in jail while awaiting trial. After Epstein’s death, she withdrew from public activities like running an oceans charity. Her whereabouts became a subject of public speculation. Was that her eating a burger and reading a book on CIA operatives in Southern California? Was she living in Britain or Paris or maybe even Massachusetts? Prosecutors say she went into hiding in New Hampshire — where she was eventually arrested — in a million-dollar home where she kept her cellphone wrapped in foil.
So has Ghislaine Maxwell been in jail this whole time?
Yes, despite multiple requests for bail, Maxwell has spent well over a year lodged in federal lockup in Brooklyn. Maxwell has triple citizenship with the US, UK and France, the last of which does not extradite its citizens. Her attorneys and family have lambasted jail conditions, which they say are punitive and inhospitable to Maxwell’s ability to mount a proper defense.
Is the case being aired on TV?
No. It’s in federal court, which doesn’t allow cameras. That’s why all the images from the courtroom are sketched.
When did the testimony begin?
29 November.
Why didn’t Maxwell testify?
When offered the chance, she told the judge — not without some defiance — that she had no need to testify, as the prosecution had failed to adequately prove their case. But regardless, it’s rare for a high-profile defendant to put themselves on the stand, as it opens them up to a lot more scrutiny.
What was Maxwell’s relationship with Jeffery Epstein?
They were romantically involved, but at some point — the timeline is unclear — she says she transitioned to being more of an employee, running his households. Prosecutors have accused of her functioning as Epstein’s madam, procuring underage girls to satisfy him sexually.
Where did Epstein have homes?
All over the place: Palm Beach, Florida; New Mexico; Manhattan; the U.S. Virgin Islands; Paris.
What did Epstein do for a living?
He left his teaching career at a tony Manhattan prep school to work at Bear Stearns, an investment bank, and then started his own money-management business. He would not disclose his assets and income even after his July 2019 arrest, but he seems to have built fortune managing investments for others.
How is Prince Andrew involved in all of this?
He’s not. Not exactly, at least. A woman is suing the British royal, saying he sexually abused her when she was 17. She says Maxwell facilitated her meetings with Andrew, who has denied the account. But the woman’s accusations have been left out of this trial. That lawsuit won’t go to trial until at least late 2022. Andrew’s name has come up in this trial, though: a pilot of Epstein’s private jet, dubbed the “Lolita Express” by the news media, testified he had flown Andrew and an accuser confirmed she told the FBI she had flown with the prince, as well.
Who is Maxwell’s husband?
Also unclear! She was living with him when she was arrested in New Hampshire, but court documents have not made his name public. He did support her bail attempts, but has not been spotted at the trial.
Does Maxwell have any notable supporters?
Her family — the scions of the late publishing magnate, Robert Maxwell — is sticking by her. Two of her siblings, Kevin and Isabel, have attended each day of proceedings. The Maxwells strongly assert the U.S. justice system is making a patsy of their youngest sister. Ghislaine is notably the baby of the family and said to have been the favorite of her father, who died falling off a yacht named for her.
How has Maxwell been spending time in jail?
According to a website set up by her family, Maxwell has been working through a pile of books. Her reading list runs the gamut of criminal-justice-related books like the award-winning “Just Mercy” by Bryan Stevenson to “Licensed to Lie: Exposing Corruption in the Department Justice” by Sidney Powell, a conspiracy theorist and former lawyer for President Donald Trump. She’s also been making her way through Philip Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” fantasy series and popular book club fiction pick “Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine,” by Gail Honeyman.
Let’s rewind: What exactly is Maxwell charged with?
The trial revolves around six charges:
1. conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts
2. enticement of a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts
3. conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity
4. transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity
5. sex trafficking conspiracy
6. sex trafficking of a minor
A superseding indictment in March also charged Maxwell with two counts of perjury, but the judge granted the defense’s request to spin those off into a separate trial.
With inputs from AP
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