Background
Ghislaine Maxwell, the 6th daughter of Robert and Elizabeth (Betty) Maxwell was born in 1961. Her father was a former politician and renowned proprietor of Mirror Group Newspapers, one of the largest publishing groups in Britain, making himself and his family extremely wealthy. Ghislaine attended the University of Oxford and later directed the Oxford United Football Club by virtue of her father’s ownership. Further employment includes her work at The European, a publishing house also owned by Robert Maxwell.
Following her father’s suspicious death in 1991, it was discovered that she had unknowingly been involved in helping to deliver several incriminating documents and met with businessmen on behalf of her father. Whether such details were truly kept from Ghislaine still remains unknown.
Ties to Epstein
While there are inconsistencies in accounts, Ghislaine was said to have first met Jeffrey Epstein in the late 1980s to early 1990s. During this period, the two began a romantic relationship and Ghislaine became heavily involved in the business and dealings of Jeffrey. A deposition in 2009 revealed testimonies of various employees of Jeffrey describing Ghislaine as being like an ‘assistant’ to Jeffrey “organizing much of his life”.
Following the break off of their romantic relationship, they still maintained a close friendship up until the death of Jeffrey in August of 2019.
Ghislaine was often described as being “charming and charismatic” coupled with her connections and social status, this made her a perfect bridge to unite Jeffrey with powerful and influential figures that would later be crucial in his manoeuvring of the law.
Recent Allegations
Maxwell has gained significant news and media attention following her arrest in July 2020, and later trial in November of 2021. While there have been past investigations and allegations regarding Ghislaine’s role and relationship with Jeffrey, all previous allegations had been denied by her and her legal team. The December judgement, however, found Maxwell guilty on five counts of sex-trafficking related crimes, and three counts of conspiracy to commit, potentially carrying a maximum sentence of 65 years.
Now what?
Maxwell’s sentence has been set for the 28th June 2022, however, due to a comment made by a juror, Scotty David, to the media regarding his own experiences being sexually abused, Maxwell’s lawyers are now seeking a mistrial. Whether or not a retrial will happen is still uncertain.
If such a retrial does take place, Maxwell will face further two criminal charges of perjury (lying under oath) from Epstein’s 2016 Civil suit, carrying a maximum sentence of five years each.
While further investigations continue surrounding Maxwell and other potential defendants, for now, Maxwell is still on track to face her sentence in, the summer of this year.
Sources
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/15/ghislaine-maxwell-to-be-sentencedhttps://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59884806
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