NBC:
More than two years after Jeffrey Epstein’s suicide behind bars, and following a shorter-than-expected trial, his longtime companion was found guilty of multiple sex trafficking charges.
A New York City jury found that Ghislaine Maxwell was Epstein’s chief enabler, recruiting and grooming young girls for him to abuse.
Reminder that the Mossad Blackmail Ring was not on trial here. Epstein himself abusing women, while terrible, is not really the point. I’ll have a conclusion article out explaining this more.
The twelve jurors found Maxwell guilty on five of the six charges, which included: conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts; conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity; transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity; sex trafficking conspiracy; sex trafficking of a minor.
The only charge Maxwell was found not guilty of was the second count against her, enticement of a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts.
My understanding is that the most serious charge against her, sex trafficking, carries a punishment of up to 40 years in and of itself. If convicted on everything, Maxwell could have been in jail for up to 70 years. I can’t find out exactly what the maximum sentence she’ll receive from this verdict will be, but I do know that the minimum sentence she’ll receive is 10 years.
What happens now is possibly more interesting than the trial itself. Maxwell has dirt on a lot of very important people. Maybe she’ll be Epsteined in prison. Maybe she’ll cut some backroom deals. Or maybe she’ll win on appeal.
Either way we’ll keep you posted.
