Elizabeth Sorrell
Ghislaine Maxwell, 60, has been convicted of sex trafficking and conspiracy on the 29th December 2021. Arrested in July 2020, Maxwell is guilty of recruiting and grooming minors for sexual abuse. After three weeks in trial, Maxwell is facing up to 65 years in prison for five out of six charges. Formerly known as a British socialite, Maxwell comes out of the trial a procurer and trafficker of underage girls in the United States.
The Case So Far
The six charges include the enticement, conspiracy, and transport of minors across state lines to engage in criminal sexual activity. The victims currently go by Jane, Kate, Carolyn, and Annie Farmer. The original indictment limited her crimes to the period of 1994 to 1997 and the abuse of the first three victims which entailed her recruitment, aid, and participation in the abuse:
“Between approximately in or about 1994 and in or about 1997, Ghislaine Maxwell the defendant, facilitated Jeffrey Epstein’s access to minor victims by , among other things, inducing and enticing, and aiding and abetting the inducement and enticement of multiple minor victims.”
However, the indictment also added Annie Farmer’s allegations of grooming and sexual abuse between 2001 and 2004. Maxwell normalised sexual activity and built an individual rapport with the victims in order to sexually exploit and abuse them. Maxwell and Epstein gave the victims money and educational opportunities to create an unequal and coercive power dynamic.
Arrested in New Hampshire in July 2020, Maxwell was denied bail three times until her trial in November 2021, the last proposal including the renouncement of her respective citizenships to the United Kingdom and France (remaining only an American citizen). Bobbie Sternheim, one of Maxwell’s defence attorneys, expressed the defense team’s “disappointment” towards the verdict and has confirmed plans to appeal the conviction. Sky News writes that Maxwell did little to counter the victims, “beyond suggesting they were motivated by money and had suffered from memory lapses”. A sentencing date has not yet been established.
What Next?
Maxwell’s conviction has raised questions around her next move in terms of appeal or the decision to ‘flip’. That is, will Maxwell attempt to cooperate with law enforcement to implicate other collaborators of Epstein to reduce her sentence? The prospect of this is unlikely as this usually takes place among smaller conspirators to reach an authoritative ringleader. Maxwell was the girlfriend and later employee of Epstein. Being the most intimate collaborator of Epstein, ‘flipping’ may not be useful, especially considering her efforts to conceal her crimes.
The victims express hope and relief after decades of abuse and the failure of US law enforcement. Annie Farmer, who testified in court expressed her gratitude for the jury’s verdict hoping that it “demonstrates that no one is above the law. Even those with great power and privilege will be held accountable when they sexually exploit and abuse the young”. In reponse to the defense team’s case which attacked the credibility of the victims and their motivations for bringing Maxwell to trial, Carolyn stated, “money will not ever fix what has been done to me”.
Maxwell is still facing a second trial for two counts of perjury that allege that she lied under oath in the 2016 civil case between Virginia Giuffre and Epstein. Each count carries a maximum of five years in prison. Although she did not testify in this case, Giuffre did comment on the verdict both celebrating the justice that has been served and the work that still needs doing: “I hope that today is not the end but rather another step in justice being served. Maxwell did not act alone. Others must be held accountable. I have faith that they will be.”
Who Next?
The result of the trial has placed pressure on those who allegedly worked for Epstein and Maxwell. Four employees and assistants of the conspirators were described as ‘potential co-conspirators’ in 2007. The outcome of this trial could result in new investigations into those who collaborated with Epstein and Maxwell. However, does Maxwell’s conviction place more pressure on the lawsuit between Prince Andrew and Virginia Roberts Giuffre?
Viriginia Giuffre accused Prince Andrew of sexually abusing her multiple times in 2001 when she was 17 years old; this case is supposedly covered in a confidential deal between Giuffre and Epstein in 2009 which is now public and releases benefactors and participants in Giuffre’s abuse from liability. This settlement agreement may not erase the prince’s liability as Giuffre’s lawyer, David Boies, has called the settlement “irrelevant” to the case against Prince Andrew. The prince’s recent domicile claim requesting the case to be dismissed on the grounds of Giuffre living in Australia has been rejected.
It is not clear who else will be brought to trial for their cooperation or participation with Epstein and Maxwell. However, the number of potential defendants is considerable. The progress of Maxwell’s sentencing and subsequent appeal are still to be confirmed.
Featured image courtesy of WilliamCho via Pixabay. No changes or alterations were made to this image. Image license can be found here.
