What charges did Ghislaine Maxwell face and what was she convicted of?
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Executive summary
Ghislaine Maxwell was federally charged in 2020 with multiple counts arising from her alleged role in recruiting, grooming and facilitating Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse of underage girls; the superseding indictment included enticement, transportation, conspiracy and perjury counts [1]. After a December 2021 jury trial she was convicted on five counts — including sex trafficking of a minor and related transportation and conspiracy offenses — acquitted on one charge, and sentenced to 20 years in prison in June 2022 [2] [3] [4].
1. The formal charges unsealed in 2020: what prosecutors accused Maxwell of
Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York unsealed felony charges against Maxwell on July 2, 2020 that accused her of enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sex acts, transportation of a minor to engage in illegal sex acts, conspiracy, and perjury as part of a broader indictment alleging she assisted Jeffrey Epstein in recruiting and abusing underage girls [1]. The Justice Department’s description of the case framed the conduct as a long-running scheme beginning at least in the mid-1990s in which Maxwell allegedly helped recruit, groom and cause minors to travel to locations where Epstein abused them [2].
2. The six-count superseding indictment and the specific statutes at trial
At trial the government presented a superseding indictment that culminated in six criminal counts, variously charging Maxwell with conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in illegal sex acts, transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, sex trafficking conspiracy, sex trafficking of a minor, and an additional count on enticement that overlapped the allegations [2] [5]. The Justice Department’s case emphasized cross-border and interstate travel and “transporting” victims to Epstein residences as part of the alleged scheme [2] [1].
3. Guilty on five counts, acquitted on one — the jury’s verdict
After roughly a month-long trial, jurors returned guilty verdicts on five of the six counts in late December 2021; those convictions included sex trafficking of a minor, transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, and related conspiracy counts, while Maxwell was acquitted on one count of enticing a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts [4] [3] [6]. Court filings and Justice Department statements describe the convictions as centered on Maxwell’s alleged active role in recruiting and enabling underage victims for Epstein [2].
4. Sentence, post-trial appeals, and judicial rulings upholding the conviction
U.S. District Court sentenced Maxwell to 20 years in prison on June 28, 2022, a term below what prosecutors had sought but reflecting the jury’s guilty verdicts on the trafficking and transportation charges [2] [3]. Her post-trial appeals — raising issues that included arguments about a prior non-prosecution agreement with Epstein’s earlier prosecutors, statute-of-limitations questions, and juror disclosures — were rejected by appellate courts, with the Second Circuit and other judges upholding the convictions and rejecting requests for a new trial; the convictions were affirmed in decisions issued in 2024 [5] [7] [8].
5. Continuing litigation and public records: transparency and retrial arguments
Maxwell’s legal team has repeatedly pursued post-conviction relief and appealed to higher courts, asserting new evidence and alleging trial unfairness, while the government and courts have moved to release voluminous prosecution materials under the recent Epstein Files Transparency Act and related orders — developments that prosecutors and advocates say will increase transparency even as Maxwell argues release of untested allegations could prejudice any future proceedings [9] [10] [11]. News outlets and court documents show an ongoing legal tussle over grand jury materials, sealed records and Maxwell’s efforts to challenge her sentence or secure release, including filings as recent as 2024–2025 [10] [12] [9].