Ghislaine Maxwell may appeal her conviction because otherwise 'she's going to die in prison,' legal expert says

• Maxwell may appeal her conviction, or "she's going to die in prison," a legal expert told Insider.
• After Maxwell was found guilty at her trial on Wednesday, her family said they had plans to appeal.

Ghislaine Maxwell may appeal her guilty conviction because otherwise "she's going to die in prison," a former federal prosecutor told Insider.

Neama Rahmani, the president of the private firm West Coast Trial Lawyers, added that while he didn't believe Maxwell had a strong case for her appeal, she would likely do it anyway.

Maxwell, who was a longtime associate of the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was found guilty on Wednesday of five charges in her high-profile sex-trafficking trial.

She was convicted on three conspiracy charges, on a separate sex-trafficking count, and of transporting a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity. The charges carry a potential sentence of up to 65 years in prison.

In a statement following the verdict, Maxwell's family said they had plans to appeal the decision.

"We firmly believe in Ghislaine's innocence. Obviously, we are very disappointed with the verdict. We have already started working on the appeal and we are confident that she will be vindicated," Bobbi C. Sternheim, one of Maxwell's attorneys, told reporters outside the courthouse in Manhattan.

Matthew Barhoma, a criminal-appeals lawyer in Los Angeles, agreed with Rahmani. But he thought Maxwell could find strong claims in an appeal.

For example, one of the women who testified against Maxwell was over the legal age of consent at the time of the incident she was recalling. It could also be argued that some of the evidence was old since it concerned incidents from decades ago.

Even if the case is retried, Barhoma said, the prosecution would likely still get a conviction because their case against Maxwell was so strong.

Maxwell could also try to lessen her sentence by cooperating in the investigation into Epstein. But it's still unclear whether she will assist investigators.