(New York) Former British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell was found guilty on Wednesday by a New York court of a series of sex crimes, including trafficking in underage girls for the benefit of former American financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Mme Maxwell, 60, had been tried since the end of November in Manhattan federal court on six counts, in particular that of providing minors to his former companion for him to sexually abuse. Mr. Epstein died in prison in 2019.
PHOTO LAURA CAVANAUGH / COURTESY, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE ARCHIVES
Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffery Epstein
She faces decades in prison.
After 40 hours of deliberation over five days, “a unanimous jury found Ghislaine Maxwell guilty of one of the worst crimes imaginable – facilitating and taking part in the sexual assault of children,” said Manhattan federal prosecutor Damian Williams said in a statement.
These “crimes were perpetrated with his lifelong partner and accomplice, Jeffrey Epstein,” who committed suicide in a New York prison in August 2019, before being tried for sex crimes.
“The path to righteousness has taken too long. But justice has been rendered today “, welcomed the prosecutor, saluting the” courage of the girls – who have become women “, four victims who testified for three weeks against Mr.me Maxwell.