After almost 40 hours in the council chamber, the jury called to decide the fate of Ghislaine Maxwell has ruled that the former British socialite and former partner of Jeffrey Epstein is guilty: he has conspired for years together with the millionaire - who committed suicide in prison where he was. on charges of child exploitation and pedophilia - to recruit and sexually abuse minors.
Maxwell's reaction to the verdict of the federal court in New York is impassive: now she risks decades in prison and can definitively say goodbye to her old and sumptuous lifestyle, which for years has seen her protagonist of the international jet set with some prominent figures , from former US President Bill Clinton to Prince Andrew.
"The road to justice has been long. But today justice has been done. I want to thank the courage of the girls now adult women who have decided to step out of the shadows and come to court. Their courage and willpower have made this result. possible, "commented Southern District of New York prosecutor Damian Williams.
THE TRIAL - The trial of Maxwell - accused among other things of exploitation of child prostitution and sexual abuse of minors, in crimes committed between 1994 and 2004 - opened on 29 November and saw dozens of witnesses as protagonists. "He knew very well what he was doing," the prosecutor said in his closing speech.
The defense of the daughter of the British publisher Robert Maxwell, owner of the Daily Mirror and mysteriously died in 1991, instead tried to cross the line of unawareness and dissociate the woman from the figure of the financier.
VICTIMS - Maxwell's victims are tears of joy: "I am relieved and grateful to the jury who found Maxwell guilty of his crimes," said Annie Fraser, one of Epstein's four accusers who testified at the trial. "He hurt many more women than they testified. I hope the verdict is a comfort to all who need it, no one is above the law."
Even Virginia Giuffre, Epstein's main accuser, does not hide her joy: "I was hungry for justice for years and today the jury gave it to me. Having lived through the horrors of Maxwell's abuse, I am close to the many other girls who have suffered. ". Yet “Maxwell did not act alone. Others must be held accountable, "he added.
"It's a big day for all of those" who have been victims of Epstein and Maxwell, noted David Boise, the lawyer who represented a dozen of the couple's abused women. "My clients and I are touched that this day has finally come. She has walked free on this earth for 60 years, now she will never be free again," said Lisa Bloom, a lawyer to eight victims. Sigrid McCawley, lawyer for other Epstein victims, speaks of a great "victory for all women who have seen their lives ruined by Maxwell".
(Unioneonline / D)