Jury Convicts Ghislaine Maxwell of Sex Trafficking Charges – Opinion

A federal jury in New York City reached a verdict in Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex trafficking trial late Wednesday, finding her guilty of sex trafficking and conspiring to entice minors. Maxwell, who was charged with procuring minor girls for Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse, faced six felony charges. Five of them were convicted.

Ghislaine Maxiwell has been found by a jury

Count 1: Guilty
Count 2 – Not Guilty
Count 3: Guilty
Count 4, Guilty
Count 5: Guilty
Count 6: Guilty

— Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) December 29, 2021

Between Law and Crime

Maxwell faced six federal charges for conduct dating back to 1994, roughly broken down by alleged violations the Mann Act or a separate federal anti-sextrafficking statute. Maxwell turned 60 in December and was sentenced to five counts.

For the last, substantive sextrafficking, there is a maximum sentence of 40 years imprisonment. This effectively makes it a lifetime sentence for any woman over 60 on Christmas Day.

Each of the other charges carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison

Four of Epstein’s victims testified in the trial, detailing how Maxwell targeted and groomed them, and in at least one case Maxwell actually transported the underage girl across state lines specifically so Epstein could molest her. One victim testified that Maxwell touched her breasts, hips, and buttocks before proclaiming that she “had a great body for Mr. Epstein and his friends.”

Following the release of the verdict Damian Williams, U.S. Assistant for the Southern District of New York made a statement.

“A unanimous jury has found Ghislaine Maxwell guilty of one of the worst crimes imaginable – facilitating and participating in the sexual abuse of children. Jeffrey Epstein was her long-term partner. She also committed the same crimes. It has taken far too many years to get justice. However, today justice has been served. I want to commend the bravery of the girls – now grown women – who stepped out of the shadows and into the courtroom.

“Their courage and willingness to face their abuser made this case, and today’s result, possible. I also want to thank the career prosecutors of the Southern District of New York, who embraced the victims’ quest for justice and have worked tirelessly, day in and day out, to ensure that Maxwell was held accountable for her crimes.

“This Office will always stand with victims, will always follow the facts wherever they lead, and will always fight to ensure that no one, no matter how powerful and well connected, is above the law.”

Jack Posobiec of “Human Events” reported that “all details of Epstein’s network have been ordered sealed.

Who will speak up for Epstein’s remaining victims now, and who will fight to reveal the names of those who joined him in abusing children? If the Southern District can find a way to get sealed documents from the Project Veritas case and illegally seized attorney/client communications to the New York Times, surely they’d be able to find a way to get details of Epstein’s network out to a hungry media. It is not possible to get the details of Epstein’s network out to the media without exposing people or institutions that are outside their control.

This is an ongoing story.