International- A jury convicted
Ghislaine Maxwell on 5 of 6 counts for her role in helpingJeffrey Epstein sexually abuse minors. - Maxwell's legal battle doesn't end here. She still faces perjury charges.
A jury has convicted Ghislaine Maxwell on charges of sex trafficking minor girls for Jeffrey Epstein, but Maxwell's legal battles aren't over yet.
The British socialite was found guilty Wednesday on three counts of conspiracy, as well as a count of sex trafficking and a count of transporting a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity.
Maxwell still faces two counts of perjury, which were not part of the sex-trafficking trial but were included in the original indictment when she was first arrested in July 2020. Prosecutors accused Maxwell of lying in a 2016 deposition for a lawsuit filed by Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre.
Giuffre sued Maxwell in 2015, accusing the British socialite of libel and slander. Giuffre's complaint alleges Maxwell and Epstein "recruited" her when she was under the age of 18, then proceeded to sexually abuse and traffic her from 1999 to 2002.
Federal prosecutors in Florida later accused Epstein of abusing more than 30 minors. But the financier secured a favorable non-prosecution agreement, agreeing to serve 13 months in jail on a state charge of solicitation of a minor and securing immunity from future prosecution for both himself and Maxwell.
When Giuffre started speaking publicly about the alleged sexual abuse years later, she accused Maxwell of trying to discredit her in statements calling her claims "obvious lies" that have been "shown to be untrue."
In a 2016 deposition for the libel and slander case, Maxwell was asked several questions about what she knew of Epstein's abuse, but largely claimed ignorance. Prosecutors in the Southern District of New York have accused Maxwell of "knowingly" making "false declarations" while testifying under oath in that deposition.
During the sex-trafficking trial, prosecutors hinted at how they will seek to prove the perjury charges.
For example, one of the questions Maxwell was asked in the 2016 deposition was whether she interacted with minors at Epstein's properties. Maxwell said she could only remember Giuffre, who was 17 when Maxwell first met her.
But one of the accusers who took the stand at trial and testified under the pseudonym, "Jane," said she was 14 when she was first approached by Maxwell and Epstein at a summer camp. Jane said the pair started to sexually abuse her that same year, during regular visits to Epstein's home in Palm Beach, Florida.
Maxwell also said in the deposition that she never gave massages to anyone, not even Epstein. But accuser Annie Farmer testified that Maxwell gave her a massage at Epstein's New Mexico ranch when she was 16, and fondled her breasts during the massage.
Maxwell's defense team successfully argued to have the perjury charges tried separately. They argued that the charges would involve bringing up Giuffre's sex abuse claims, which could unfairly prejudice the jury in the sex-trafficking trial. While Giuffre has been outspoken about the alleged sex abuse she suffered at the hands of Maxwell and Epstein, and has sued both of them, her claims didn't form the basis for any of the sex-trafficking charges against Maxwell.
Maxwell's lawyers also argued that trying all the charges at once would've disqualified two of Maxwell's lawyers from participating in the trial, since they worked on the Giuffre lawsuit.
It's unclear when the perjury trial will take place. US District Judge Alison Nathan previously said that a trial date for the perjury case would be set at the conclusion of the child-sex-trafficking trial.