Jeffrey Epstein sex abuse case: Ghislaine Maxwell convicted, found guilty on 5 of 6 counts

British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted Wednesday of luring teenage girls to be sexually abused by the American millionaire Jeffrey Epstein.

The verdict ended a month-long trial featuring sordid accounts of the sexual exploitation of girls as young as 14, told by four women who described being abused as teens in the 1990s and early 2000s at Epstein's palatial homes in Florida, New York and New Mexico.

As the verdict was read, Maxwell was largely stoic behind a black mask. Afterward, she could be seen pouring herself water as one of her attorneys patted her back.

Maxwell could potentially spend the rest of her life behind bars, with a maximum possible sentence of 65 years.

What was Ghislaine Maxwell found guilty of?

Jurors decided on the following six charges:
1. Conspiracy to entice individuals under the age of 17 to travel in interstate commerce with intent to engage in illegal sexual activity. Guilty
2. Enticement of an individual under the age of 17 to travel with intent to engage in illegal sexual activity. Not guilty
3. Conspiracy to transport individuals under the age of 17 to travel in interstate commerce with intent to engage in illegal sexual activity. Guilty
4. Transportation of an individual under the age of 17 with intent to engage in illegal sexual activity. Guilty
5. Conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of individuals under the age of 18. Guilty
6. Sex trafficking of an individual under the age of 18. Guilty

Defence lawyer Laura Menninger had contended that the women’s memories of abuse by Epstein and Maxwell were flawed, and had been manipulated decades later by lawyers seeking payouts.

She also claimed US government investigators were seeking a scapegoat after Epstein died in a federal jail in 2019 as he awaited his own sex trial for sex trafficking.