Nicolas Pinault (on site), edited by Gauthier Delomez 10:43 am, December 30, 2021
Former socialite Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted of sex crimes Thursday morning by federal court in New York after six days of deliberation.
She notably delivered young underage girls to her former companion, Jeffrey Epstein.
If her sentence will be known in a few weeks, she faces 60 years in prison.
A much-awaited verdict across the Atlantic.
The New York federal court has found former jet-setter Ghislaine Maxwell guilty in particular of sex trafficking of underage girls for the benefit of her former companion, the former American financier Jeffrey Epstein.
When the verdict was announced, which took a long time to emerge, the former socialite showed no emotion.
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"One of the worst crimes imaginable"
On the sixth day of deliberation and after 40 hours of discussion, the 12 jurors finally came to an agreement. Ghislaine Maxwell is convicted of five of the six charges for which she was prosecuted. And despite her denials, the former jet-setter has therefore provided for ten years teenage girls to her former companion Jeffrey Epstein, who committed suicide in 2019, for him to sexually abuse in his many properties in worldwide.
Manhattan Federal Court Attorney Damian Williams praised the victims' long struggle in this case.
"The jury, unanimously, found Ghislaine Maxwell guilty of one of the worst crimes imaginable: facilitating and participating in the sexual abuse of children. Justice has waited too long, but today, justice has finally passed ", he declared after the verdict of the trial.
Ghislaine Maxwell faces 60 years in prison
Ghislaine Maxwell, who did not testify during her trial, will know her sentence in a few weeks.
The former socialite faces 60 years in prison, and her lawyers have already announced their intention to appeal.