Socialite Ghislaine Maxwell Found Guilty of Trafficking Young Girls in Epstein Sex Case

British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell has been found guilty on Wednesday of recruiting girls to be sexually abused by late financier and millionaire Jeffrey Epstein. 

She has been found guilty of five of six counts. She’s facing a serious charge of sex trafficking a minor. 

In the trial, four women have described being abused as teens in the 1990s and early 2000s by Epstein while Maxwell was said to be the “key” person in this scheme. She’s been accused of grooming girls as young as 14 years to become Epstein's victims.

After the verdict was announced by Judge Alison Nathan, Ghislaine removed her mask and sipped water from a glass. 

Her legal team is already working on an appeal. 

“We firmly believe in Ghislaine's innocence. Obviously, we are very disappointed with the verdict. We have already started working on the appeal and we are confident that she will be vindicated,” said Bobbi Sternheim, Maxwell’s attorney.

Maxwell was found not guilty of one count- enticement of a  minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams praised the victims who testified against Maxwell after experiencing what he called “one of the worst crimes imaginable.” 

“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,” he said in a statement.

Maxwell's sentencing date has not yet been set.

Ghislaine was born into abundance, her father was an academic publishing magnate, a Labour MP, and the owner of the UK’s biggest-selling papers the Daily Mirror.

Ghislaine Maxwell was the director of Oxford United Football Club during her father’s ownership and also worked at ‘The European’ publication established by her father. The Times reported that Ghislaine met Jeffrey Epstein in the early 1990s at a New York party. She remained closely associated with him for more than 25 years until his death in 2019.