Ghislaine Maxwell convicted on trafficking charges
After a month-long trial featuring testimony from four accusers — including one who described being abused 'hundreds of times' starting at age 14 — a federal jury convicts Ghislaine Maxwell on five of six counts including sex trafficking of a minor.
On December 29, 2021, a federal jury in the Southern District of New York found Ghislaine Maxwell guilty on five of six counts for her role in recruiting and grooming underage girls for Jeffrey Epstein. The verdict came after approximately five days of deliberation, concluding a trial that had begun on November 29. Judge Alison J. Nathan, who was later elevated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, presided over the proceedings.
The Trial
The trial lasted roughly one month and included testimony from 24 prosecution witnesses. The government’s case, led by prosecutors from the SDNY, focused on Maxwell’s direct involvement in identifying, befriending, and delivering underage girls to Epstein between 1994 and 2004. The defense, led by attorney Bobbi Sternheim, argued that Maxwell was being used as a scapegoat — a stand-in for Epstein, who had died in August 2019 while awaiting his own trial. Sternheim challenged the reliability of witnesses’ decades-old memories and contended that the accusers’ recollections had been shaped by civil litigation and media coverage.
The Witnesses
Four accusers testified during the trial, each identified by pseudonym except one. “Jane” described being recruited at a summer camp in the mid-1990s when she was 14. She testified that Maxwell normalized sexual contact and participated in some of the abuse. “Kate,” a British woman, said she was recruited at age 17 and brought into Epstein’s orbit through Maxwell’s introductions. “Carolyn” testified that she was recruited at 14 and abused at Epstein’s Palm Beach residence hundreds of times, receiving $300 per visit. She described Maxwell as the person who scheduled the encounters. Annie Farmer, the only accuser to use her real name, testified that she was 16 when Maxwell lured her to Epstein’s Zorro Ranch in New Mexico in 1996, where she was subjected to a topless massage by Maxwell.
The Verdict
The jury returned guilty verdicts on five of the six counts: conspiracy to entice a minor 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, and sex trafficking of a minor. Maxwell was acquitted on one count: enticement of a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts.
Sentencing
On June 28, 2022, Judge Nathan sentenced Maxwell to 20 years in federal prison — 240 months — followed by five years of supervised release. The court also imposed a $750,000 fine. Maxwell was initially held at FCI Tallahassee. In her sentencing remarks, Nathan noted that Maxwell’s crimes were “heinous and predatory” and that she had played an instrumental role in the abuse of vulnerable children.
The Juror Controversy
Shortly after the verdict, Juror No. 50, identified as Scotty David, gave media interviews in which he disclosed that he had been a victim of childhood sexual abuse — a fact he had not revealed on his voir dire questionnaire. David said his personal experience helped him persuade other jurors during deliberations. Maxwell’s attorneys moved for a new trial, arguing that the juror’s nondisclosure constituted grounds for reversal. On April 1, 2022, Judge Nathan denied the motion, finding that David’s failure to disclose was not deliberate and did not result in actual prejudice to Maxwell. The ruling was upheld on appeal.