Now, go after the rest of sicko’s enablers, say advocates
Calls mounted for the feds to charge additional Jeffrey Epstein enablers after the landmark guilty verdict Wednesday against Ghislaine Maxwell, his chief recruiter of underage victims.
A jury in Manhattan Federal Court found Maxwell guilty of five of six counts relating to her grooming of girls for Epstein’s sexual abuse between 1994 and 2004. The 60-year-old socialite faces up to 65 years in prison.
“I hope that this verdict brings solace to all who need it and demonstrates that no one is above the law. Even those with great power and privilege will be held accountable when they sexually abuse and exploit the young,” said Annie Farmer, who testified in the trial about Maxwell and Epstein’s abuse.
David Boies, a lawyer for Epstein victims who deposed Maxwell in 2016, urged the Justice Department to continue investigating the sprawling sex trafficking scheme that allegedly victimized women from the 1990s to around 2019 when the sex offender was arrested on the tarmac of Teterboro Airport.
“This is a great day for justice and for Maxwell’s survivors. The jury’s verdict vindicates the courage and commitment of our clients who stood up against all odds for many years to bring Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell to justice. They did not act, and could not have acted, alone. The scope and scale and duration of their sex trafficking crimes depended on many wealthy and powerful collaborators and co-conspirators. They too are not above the law. They too must be brought to justice,” Boies said.
During the monthlong trial, the jury heard of the powerful figures who Maxwell and Epstein considered friends. Former Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, as well as Prince Andrew, flew as passengers on the same private planes Epstein and Maxwell used to traffic minors for sexual abuse.
After Epstein’s stunning suicide in August 2019, thenU.S. Attorney General William Barr vowed that the financier’s co-conspirators “should not rest easy.”
One victim testified during Maxwell’s trial that Epstein’s assistant Sarah Kellen booked her for at least 100 abusive massages in the early 2000s. The victim said that Epstein first abused her when she was 14 years old.
Another former Epstein assistant, Lesley Groff, has also faced accusations in civil lawsuits that she arranged abusive encounters with the financier. Both Groff and Kellen have adamantly denied wrongdoing.
French model scout Jean-Luc Brunel is fighting charges in France that he abused Epstein victims.
“Justice must be done. Epstein and Maxwell’s victims deserve nothing less. The DOJ failed again and again and again when Epstein escaped justice. Maxwell must pay for her heinous crimes. This verdict shouldn’t be the end: The DOJ needs to go after every single s--mbag who committed crimes with Maxwell and Epstein,” said Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The feds in Florida notoriously allowed Epstein to plead guilty in 2008 to state prostitution charges in Florida rather than bring more serious federal sex trafficking charges. Manhattan federal prosecutors also opted not to prosecute Epstein and Maxwell in 2016, the Daily News reported.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Damian Williams praised the victims who took the stand against Maxwell. “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,” he said.