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What is Ghislaine Maxwell’s final verdict?
GHISLAINE Maxwell stood trial for her involvement in sex trafficking alongside Jeffrey Epstein back in 2021.
Maxwell was found guilty on all counts except for one.
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What is Ghislaine Maxwell's final verdict?
Ghislaine Maxwell pleaded not guilty to eight counts of sex trafficking and perjury for her alleged role in taking advantage of young women alongside Jeffrey Epstein on December 29, 2021.
However, she was found guilty of all counts except for one: "enticement of an individual under the age of 17 (Jane only) to travel with intent to engage in illegal sexual activity."
On June 28, 2022, Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
The 60-year-old was accused of grooming women to partake in sexual activities with Jeffrey Epstein who was found dead in jail while he awaited trial in 2019. His death was officially ruled as suicide by hanging.
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Three of Epstein's alleged victims spoke during the trial thus far and one woman, Kate, said she thought Maxwell was her friend before she convinced her to give "sexual massages" to Epstein.
"I felt that I had found a new connection that could be really meaningful to me,” she said in court.
“I was really happy that we had connected and she seemed as excited as I was to have a new friend.”
She said at first it appeared to be a "silly joke" but she claims she was eventually told to do more.
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“I didn’t know how to say no," Kate said, adding that she had witnessed how connected they (Maxwell and Epstein) were and Maxwell "seemed to know everyone."
Kate was joined by two other women who said they fell victim to similar treatment.
A fourth woman was expected to take the stand on December 9, and the prosecution told the judge they expect to rest their case after hearing from the fourth victim.
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Why was the jury dismissed?
The judge dismissed the jurors at about 10.30am on Thursday, December 9 after a lawyer involved in the case fell sick and needed medical attention.
This came ahead of the fourth and final witness who was expected to take the stand in the case against Ghislaine Maxwell.
U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan said she doesn't believe the lawyer has Covid-19 but they are doing everything they can to ensure the individual receives appropriate medical care, according to the .
Additionally, Insider reported that the leading US attorney in the case, Lara Pomerantz, was absent from the courtroom at the time of the announcement.
The jurors were instructed to prepare to return on Friday, but no further information has been released.
Why was the fourth witness so important?
Annie Farmer was the last person to take the stand and is the only witness who agreed to use her legal name rather than a pseudonym or her first name only.
Prosecutors said they intended to rest their case after receiving Farmer's testimony.
Her story has received national attention through in-depth interviews about her experiences with Epstein and Maxwell.
At 16 years old, Farmer said she was at Epstein's ranch in New Mexico in 1996 when she claims Maxwell directed her to remove her top and gave her a sexualized massage.
Farmer allegedly met Maxwell through her sister, Maria, who was working as a receptionist at Epstein's townhouse in New York City.
Maria allegedly talked about her sister who would be graduating high school soon and would be looking at colleges.
At the alleged recommendation of Maxwell, Maria directed her sister to Epstein who would supposedly be able to help.
Farmer told 20/20 last year, "What I understood was that Maria had a very wealthy boss and that he might want to help me with school.
"I just thought, 'Wow, this sounds like a great opportunity.'"
When she was invited to attend a program at Epstein's Arizona ranch, Farmer said Maxwell suggested she give him foot rubs. Farmer said because Maxwell was the one suggesting it, she was more open to it but if it were Epstein to make the suggestion, she would have been "alarmed."
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"They were really, really good at figuring out how to push boundaries so that I didn't say, 'No I'm not going to do this,'" Farmer told 20/20.
"I just felt uneasy, but (I) did it."
Ghislaine Maxwell's defense attorney says they will appeal guilty verdict
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