Ghislaine Maxwell was found guilty on five out of six charges Wednesday, including the most serious, sex trafficking of a minor—and Sigrid McCawley, a lawyer for one of the four accusers who testified, called it a "towering victory" not just for the four, but "for the women around the world whose young and tender lives were diminished and damaged" by Maxwell's "abhorrent actions." "For too long their voices were ignored and discounted and their characters impugned and disgraced, but no more," McCawley said, per the Washington Post. Prosecutors said Maxwell recruited and groomed underaged girls who were sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein, and sometimes took part in the abuse herself. More:
- What happens now. After the verdict, Maxwell was taken back to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where she has been held since July 2020, reports Reuters. She faces up to 65 years in prison, but no sentencing date has been set. She will be tried at a later date on two perjury counts for allegedly lying about her role in Epstein's sexual abuse. Epstein killed himself while awaiting trial in 2019.