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Ghislaine Maxwell has been convicted of sexual trafficking and faces up to 65 years in prison.
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She can appeal and fight the decision or start working with an investigator.
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In any case, Maxwell is unlikely to avoid significant prison time, experts told insiders.
Ghislaine Maxwell, a British social celebrity and longtime companion to convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, said: Convicted Wednesday of five indictments in her famous sex trafficking trial.
Maxwell was convicted of three conspiracy charges, the number of individual sex trafficking cases, and the transfer of minors to engage in illegal sexual activity. The indictment faces a potential sentence of 65 years.
The ruling came almost a year and a half after Maxwell, 60, was arrested and accused of arranging and participating in the sexual abuse of a minor girl. In the light of her belief, she has two paths forward, neither of which necessarily prevents her from spending a considerable amount of time behind the bar.
“Maxwell really has two options. She can fight and appeal this case, where she may face a 65-year sentence, or any other person involved in a fairly light sentence. You can start issuing people’s names, “Balhoma, a criminal appeal lawyer at Matthew Los Angeles, told Insider.
Maxwell’s family said they were going to appeal
In a statement Wednesday night, Maxwell’s family said they were planning to appeal the decision.
“We firmly believe in Guillene’s innocence. Obviously, we are very disappointed with the verdict. We have already begun to work on the appeal and are confident she will be proven.” Bobby C. Sternheim, one of Maxwell’s lawyers, I told reporters Outside the Manhattan Courthouse.
Neama Ramani, president of West Coast Attorney and former federal prosecutor, told insiders that he doesn’t think Maxwell has a legal basis to appeal, but he expects her to do so anyway.
“Otherwise she would die in federal prison and she would appeal,” Rahamani said, adding that he believed the prosecution’s proceedings against Maxwell were strong.
Mr Balhoma agreed, but said Maxwell thought he could make a strong claim during the appeal process.
For example, one of the four women who testified that they had been sexually abused was older than the age of consent at the time of the incident. A judge instructing a jury not to convict based on her testimony.. However, she is still allowed to testify as a witness, and Mr. Balhoma said he could argue in an appeal that he had improperly affected the jury.
He also said that some of the evidence could be claimed to be “old or out of date” because some of the accusations were related to the case decades ago.
Even if Maxwell had some success in the appeal process and the case was retried, prosecutors are likely to be convicted based on the strength of their case and the testimony of other whistleblowers. He said. He said it was very unlikely that the conviction would be completely abandoned.
If Maxwell cooperates, she may not be able to get a “free pass”
Many famous and powerful people Link to Former president, prince, wealthy businessman, etc., Epstein in some way.
“The most interesting part is what everyone wants to know. Is she going to cooperate?” Ramani said. “Are she going to give her a name, or is she just appealing and silent?”
Maxwell has so far given the impression that he is not interested in cooperating with the investigations surrounding Epstein, but that can change in the light of her beliefs.
“You don’t want to be a whistleblower, you don’t want to start pointing, but now you’re a convicted serious offender and you’ve been in federal prison for decades,” Ramani said. “Are you trying to save yourself?”
If Maxwell cooperates, her transaction with the prosecutor is ultimately, such as whether she is willing to testify to others, or whether her cooperation is the result of being convicted of others. May depend on the degree of her help.
Anyway, there may be a minimum number of statements that need to be met. Also opposed to Maxwell is the fact that Epstein committed suicide in 2019 while awaiting allegations of sex trafficking, making her a central figure in the investigation.
Rrahmani said he was waiting for a trial on suspicion of sexual trafficking when Epstein died (he said. Plead guilty In 2007, soliciting prostitution and raising minors for prostitution), the prosecutor gives Maxwell a break in exchange for her cooperation, even if it proves to be of great value. You have to be “really sensitive” about that.
“It’s a really nice line you have to walk. You obviously want information. You want to encourage her to testify. You want to prosecute other people who were actually involved in sexual abuse. “He said. “But Maxwell contributed to the abuse and doesn’t want to give him a free pass.”
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