Ghislaine Maxwell trial LIVE – Convicted Epstein ‘Madam’ could face 65-year sentence as Scott Borgerson avoids court
PROSECUTORS expect Ghislaine Maxwell, who was found guilty of five out of six counts in her sex trafficking trial, will receive a 'very significant prison sentence,' as the heiress faces up to 65 years behind bars.
Her reported husband Scott Borgerson did not show up to her trial at any point.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump Jr weighed in on the case, sharing a post to his Instagram stories that called for others associated with Jeffrey Epstein to be brought to justice.
"Why isn't the network in his little black book being made public?" said the tweet, originally penned by conservative activist Christian Collins.
Former New York prosecutor Sarah Krissoff reportedly told the that she expects the judge to "impose a very severe sentence" upon Maxwell.
“Given the involvement of minors, the judge has really great discretion to impose a significant sentence," Krissoff said.
The jury found Maxwell, the daughter of Robert Maxwell, guilty on five charges, which include conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation of an individual under the age of 17 with the intent to engage in sexual activity
The only charge Maxwell was not found guilty of in her trial was count two, which was enticement of an individual under the age of 17 to travel with intent to engage in sexual activity.
Maxwell's top charge, which is a sex-trafficking count, carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison. Ultimately, the socialite could face up to 65 years in prison.
Read our Ghislaine Maxwell live blog for the very latest news and updates...
'This wasn't a two-person operation'
Former federal prosecutor Elie Honig called the conviction "long overdue justice for victims."
"Prosecutors need to hold other powerful players to account," he added.
"This wasn’t a two-person operation."
Maxwell has 'two options,' expert says
Matthew Barhoma, a criminal-appeals lawyer in Los Angeles, told that Maxwell has essentially two paths forward after her guilty verdict.
";Maxwell truly has two options: She can fight this case and take it up on appeal, where she will likely face a 65-year sentence, or she can start issuing some names of who else was involved for a substantially lighter sentence," said Barhoma.
He added that he thought Maxwell could have strong claims in an appeals process.
Where is Ghislaine Maxwell?
Ghislaine Maxwell has been been held in isolation since July 2020 in New York’s Metropolitan Detention Center.
She returned there after the verdict, reported.
The outlet noted that Maxwell has claimed she's been served moldy food at the jail.
The victims described abuse
Often sobbing as they gave evidence, four women described how they were lured into giving massages for Epstein by Maxwell, which were in fact ruses and the prelude to their abuse.
One, identified only as ‘Jane’ detailed how Maxwell recruited her at summer camp and made her feel “special.”
She said sexual encounters with Epstein became routine, with Maxwell sometimes present.
What has Ghislaine Maxwell been accused of?
Maxwell was accused of acting as a “madam” for Jeffrey Epstein, US court documents previously revealed.
Prosecutors allege she had a history of giving powerful men access to women.
A defamation case involving Virginia Giuffre claims Prince Andrew slept with her three times, and that she was recruited by Maxwell in 1999 where she was introduced to Epstein.
What was Jeffrey Epstein accused of?
Jeffrey Epstein was accused of abusing women and underage girls for decades, assembling a network of enablers to help carry out and cover up his crimes.
The serial sex abuser reportedly made a secret plea deal with the government in 2008 to avoid a potential life sentence and continued to abuse women.
Maxwell’s lawyers will appeal
The convicted sex trafficker’s lawyers have said they are already working on appealing the jury’s decision.
“We firmly believe in Ghislaine’s innocence. Obviously, we are very disappointed with the verdict,” said Maxwell’s attorney Bobbi C. Sternheim.
When is Ghislaine Maxwell being sentenced?
Ghislaine Maxwell was on trial for sex abuse and human trafficking charges.
She was found guilty on all charges but one on December 29, 2021.
The exact date of her sentencing has yet to be announced.
US District Judge Alison Nathan didn’t announce when Maxwell would be sentenced, noted.
Virginia Guiffre tweeted after verdict
Virginia Guiffre, an alleged Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell victim who did not testify in the trial, issued a tweet after Maxwell’s guilty verdict was announced.
“My soul yearned for justice for years and today they jury gave me just that. I will remember this day always.”
Guiffre also called on more people to be brought to justice in connection to the case.
“Maxwell did not act alone,” she tweeted. “Others must be held accountable. I have faith that they will be.”
In addition to Epstein and Maxwell, Guiffre has accused Prince Andrew of sexual abuse, and has an open civil case against the royal.
Survivor wants others investigated
Speaking of Prince Andrew – and others accused of wrongdoing – Jennifer added: “The authorities should have been investigating other people a long time ago.
“Prince Andrew needs to be investigated for any women who were involved with him.
"The TV interview he had to ‘prove his innocence’ didn’t come across very well in my opinion.
“If the authorities haven’t investigated other people by now, it’s hard to see if they will. But I have a lot of faith in the justice system – if they feel like they need to go further then they will.”
A representative for Andrew declined to comment.
Survivor speaks out on conviction
Jennifer Araoz, 34, told The Sun how she fell into Epstein’s “sadistic web” and was raped by the multi-millionaire when she was just 15-years-old.
Jennifer, a make-up artist from New York, attended the trial in the Big Apple to support the accusers who testified against her about their abuse.
She said: “The fact that Ghislaine is a woman hurts a little bit more. She was older – she should have been more nurturing and caring towards the girls.
“In a way, she was just like Epstein – if not even worse.
“The fact that she was directly wanting to find young girls who were lost in life, who didn’t really have much going on financially, who were easily able to fall into this web of evil.
“It’s sadistic. Ghislaine is evil – as are all of the other people involved. Ghislaine should spend the rest of her life in jail.”
How long will Ghislaine Maxwell spend in prison?
The convicted sex trafficker could spend up to 65 years in prison.
She was found guilty of five out of the six federal charges brought against her.
Maxwell family statement
Ghislaine Maxwell’s family released a statement after a guilty verdict was announced.
It read: “We believe firmly in our sister’s innocence – we are very disappointed with the verdict.
“We have already started the appeal tonight and we believe that she will ultimately be vindicated.”
Is Maxwell on suicide watch?
Maxwell's defense team hasn't publicly said if she will be on suicide watch or responded The Sun's request for comment, but that will be determined by the correctional facility and medical professionals, Christine Tartaro told The Sun on Thursday.
Tartaro, a criminal justice professor at Stockton University who specializes in correctional facility suicides among other topics, said Maxwell would have been evaluated after leaving court.
Her lawyer or family members could also request she be put on suicide watch if they were concerned she would self harm, Tartaro said.
Maxwell also faces perjury counts
Along with sex trafficking charges, Ghislaine Maxwell also separately faces two perjury counts, reported.
Those counts will be tried at a later date.
Bad news for Prince Andrew, Continued
“We know that prosecutors are looking at other co-conspirators in connection with Jeffrey Epstein’s child sex ring.
“Ghislaine undoubtedly possesses information which could assist prosecutors in other cases. If she decides to co-operate, her testimony could be devastating.
“She was Epstein’s right-hand woman for years, imagine what she knows?”
‘Could be bad news for Prince Andrew’
A legal source connected with Maxwell’s case a guilty verdict in the case could spell trouble for the royal.
“This could be bad news for Prince Andrew and other high-profile men who hung out with Ghislaine and Jeffrey Epstein,” the source said.
“It is possible she will begin to co-operate and tell what she knows in an attempt to lessen her jail term.
Maxwell's courtroom sketching, continued
Maxwell caught reporters' eyes when she again turned to draw Rosenberg for a second time when the full trial got underway - with the heiress also suspected of sketching journalists.
Will Pavia, who covered the trial for The Times, says he believes Maxwell was "trying to take back control" by drawing the artists.
Speaking on the Stories of Our Times podcast, he said: "She was drawing Jane and then her eyes swept along the bench and she started looking at me and the other reporter, Lucia Osborne-Crowley.
"Lucia said 'I think she's sketching us.' And I think she was.
"She was looking straight at us and then looking down at her notebook and then making furious jottings. It is a very strange experience.
"When she looks right at you it is quite an unnerving and startling experience. It was sort of assertive I suppose, trying to take back control in some way is what it felt like."
Maxwell reportedly sketched courtroom artist
Maxwell stunned the court room and beyond when she began "furiously" drawing a sketch artist.
Illustrator Elizabeth Williams, who has been sketching people in court for 40 years, was at a pre-trial hearing in November when Maxwell began staring at her while drawing.
The Sun exclusively revealed how the artist was taken aback when the madam swivelled round in her chair to pen her.
A picture of the tense encounter – created by fellow sketch artist Jane Rosenberg, who was also drawn by the Brit – went viral on social media.
Maxwell found guilty on five counts
On Wednesday, the British socialite was found guilty of five of the six charges she was accused of.
The jury deemed her guilty of:
- Conspiracy to entice minors 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
- sex trafficking of a minor
Epstein ‘bought flowers’ for girls
Jeffrey Epstein would see other women behind socialite Ghislaine Maxwell’s back, her ex-assistant told the court during her testimony in the trial.
Cimberly Espinosa, 55, who was hired by Epstein and then worked for Maxwell for six years, said she was once tasked with buying flowers for another woman.
The witness — the first to testify at the start of Maxwell’s sex trafficking trial defense — described a parade of women visiting billionaire pedophile Epstein in his New York office from 1996 to 2002.
Asked how old they were, she told a court in Manhattan: “Eighteen and over. Young women.”
Maxwell’s introduction to Paris Hilton
Christopher Mason claimed that Ghislaine Maxwell allegedly stopped in her tracks and said “oh my God” when she saw Paris Hilton, then 19 years old, at a party in the early 2000s.
Maxwell saw the young socialite at a party and was stunned by her good looks, prompting her to tell a friend Hilton would be “perfect for Jeffrey,” according to the .
Mason recalled the moment in the Lifetime docuseries Surviving Jeffrey Epstein.
“A friend of mine was at a party and Ghislaine said, ‘Oh my god, who is that?’ and was looking at this pretty, younger teenage girl,” he said.
“She said: ‘Do you know her?’”
“My friend said: ‘Yeah, she’s called Paris Hilton‘ and Ghislaine said: ‘Ohhhh she’d be perfect for Jeffrey. Can you introduce us?’”
Did Maxwell testify?
Maxwell did not testify in her sex trafficking trial.
The British socialite, 59, was said to be “too fragile” to take the witness stand.
Her spokesman said: “Ghislaine Maxwell is unlikely to testify over serious worries she is too fragile and will not be able to acquit herself properly.”
Her family has complained she is not being fed correctly and shackled to and from court.
A friend said: “There are significant concerns about her health.”
Trial revelations: creepy paintings
Pictures from the raid also show a number of weird paintings on the walls of the mansion.
Prosecutors claimed the interior of Epstein’s mansion is proof of a sexualised atmosphere encouraged by Maxwell to put pressure on the victims.
In the mansion, you can see paintings of nude women hanging on the wall – with a bare bum visible in one, and two naked women lying on a bed in the other.
A photo of a seemingly naked woman is also seen hanging on a door between the two sketches.
Trial revelations: naked picture
Prosecutors released more than 60 images from a police raid at Jeffrey Epstein’s infamous Palm Beach mansion as part of the case.
The jury was shown police videotape and photos of the interior of Epstein’s Florida home.
The video and pictures were taken during a search of the mansion – which has been dubbed the “House of Sin” – during the 2005 investigation into Epstein.
Photos include images of a room in the property with a desk which appears to have a nude photo of Ghislaine sitting on it.
It appears to be a now-famous photo of her lying on a beach.