Short Answer
SDNY charged Ghislaine Maxwell with six counts: sex trafficking conspiracy, sex trafficking of a minor, enticement of minors, transportation of a minor for criminal sexual activity, and two counts of perjury. She was convicted of five of the six counts in December 2021.
In Detail
The Indictment
Maxwell was arrested in July 2020 in Bradford, New Hampshire, where she had been living under a pseudonym. The SDNY indictment alleged she had been Epstein’s key partner in recruiting, grooming, and abusing young women and girls from around 1994 to 2004.
The Four Accusers
The prosecution relied primarily on testimony from four women:
- Jane (pseudonym) — alleged abuse beginning at age 14 in Palm Beach
- Kate (pseudonym) — British woman who alleged abuse in London and New York
- Carolyn — whose full name was eventually used; alleged abuse beginning at age 14 in Palm Beach
- Annie Farmer — who used her real name; alleged abuse at the New Mexico ranch
Maxwell’s Defense
Maxwell’s defense argued she was a scapegoat for Epstein’s crimes, that the accusers had faulty memories or financial incentives for their claims, and that the sex trafficking statute was being applied retroactively to conduct predating it.
The Verdict
After six weeks of trial and six days of deliberation, the jury convicted Maxwell on five of six counts in December 2021. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison in June 2022 by Judge Alison Nathan.
Perjury Acquittal
Maxwell was acquitted on two perjury counts relating to her deposition testimony in Virginia Giuffre’s civil lawsuit — potentially because jurors found the threshold of proof for perjury higher than for the trafficking conspiracy charges.