Ghislaine Maxwell Found Guilty Of Helping Epstein Sexually Abuse Teen Girls
After hearing from around 30 witnesses including the four accusers, the 12-person panel began deliberating in the case against Ghislaine Maxwell just before 5 p.m. on Dec. 20. “Maxwell was Jeffrey Epstein’s right hand,” Assistant US Attorney Alison Moe said in her closing statement. Today, after six days of deliberations over accusations that Maxwell helped pedophile Jeffrey Epstein mount a “pyramid scheme of abuse” involving underage girls, the jury came to their decision ahead of what was to be a working weekend through the new years' break. The jury found her guilty on 5 of the 6 counts of luring and grooming underage girls for sexual abuse by Jeffrey Epstein, a verdict that offers some long-delayed justice for his victims. She was acquitted of one count of enticing a minor to travel across state lines to engage in an illegal sexual act. The verdict was largely a rejection of Ms. Maxwell’s defense, which centered on an argument that government’s case was based on flimsy evidence, prosecutors’ animus toward Mr. Epstein, and the inconsistent accounts of women who were motivated by money to point the finger at Ms. Maxwell.
