'TODAY JUSTICE HAS BEEN DONE'
Maxwell convicted of recruiting
Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted Wednesday of recruiting and grooming underage girls for years as Jeffrey Epstein’s madam — capping a stunning fall from grace for the British socialite, who could spend the rest of her life behind bars.
Maxwell, who turned 60 Christmas Day, sat motionless as the unanimous verdict on five of six counts was read. When it was done, she poured herself a cup of water from a Fiji bottle and took a swig, then conferred with her lawyer.
Emotionless
She showed no emotion as she was hauled out of federal court in lower Manhattan in front of her siblings, who were seated in the front row.
The jury deliberated for five full days, requesting troves of evidence and sordid witness testimony that was presented during the monthlong case. A sentencing date has not been set.
“The road to justice has been far too long. But today justice has been done,” Manhattan US Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement.
“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.”
Maxwell’s lawyers had argued in closing statements that she was an innocent scapegoat in the Epstein saga — while prosecutors convinced the 12 jurors that she was a “sophisticated predator” who exploited young, vulnerable girls.
The Oxford-educated heiress — the youngest child of late publishing tycoon Robert Maxwell — was convicted on nearly all counts, including sex-trafficking of a minor, the top charge, which carries a maximum 40-year sentence.
Arranged ‘massages’
That count relates to the allegations of one of the four accusers, who testified using her first name, Carolyn, detailing how she gave hundreds of sexualized massages to Epstein as a teenager living in Palm Beach, Fla. — sessions that Maxwell helped arrange.
Maxwell was acquitted only of enticing a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, which related to allegations from a woman going by the pseudonym “Jane,” who testified that she was sexually