Ghislaine Maxwell’s family voices faith in her innocence

Members of Ghislaine Maxwell’s family say they still believe she is innocent after a New York jury found the British socialite guilty of luring teenage girls to be sexually abused by her former boyfriend, the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.

In a statement issued late Wednesday, the Maxwell family said it would support Ghislaine Maxwell’s efforts to appeal her conviction.

“We believe firmly in our sister’s innocence. We are very disappointed with the verdict,” the statement said. “We have already started the appeal tonight, and we believe that she will ultimately be vindicated.”

The jury’s verdict Wednesday capped a monthlong trial featuring lurid accounts of the sexual exploitation of girls as young as 14. Four women testified that they were abused as teenagers in the 1990s and early 2000s at Epstein’s homes in Florida, New York and New Mexico.

Jurors deliberated for five full days before finding Maxwell guilty of five of six counts of trafficking underage girls for abuse. Each charge carries a maximum prison term of five to 40 years.