Epstein’s accusers were ignored and silenced. With Maxwell verdict, they’ve been heard | Editorial
They were heard.
After five long days of deliberations — and decades of being ignored — the victims of sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein can finally say they were heard. A New York jury believed them, deciding Wednesday that Ghislaine Maxwell had played a key role in recruiting and grooming teenage girls to be sexually abused by the Palm Beach financier.
For the women who had the courage to come forward about the abuse they had suffered between 1994 and 2000, this is validation they have long deserved. Maxwell, a well-connected British socialite and Epstein’s girlfriend, was convicted on five of six counts. We hope this outcome offers encouragement for other sex-abuse victims to recognize that they, too, deserve justice.
The accusers in the case had every reason to doubt that they would ever be taken seriously. Two decades ago, prosecutors in South Florida gave Epstein a secret plea deal for sex offenses without telling those he was accused of abusing. That was the subject of a Miami Herald series, Perversion of Justice. After it ran, authorities reopened the investigation.
When Epstein, suspected of abusing scores of women, was found dead in prison in 2019 while awaiting his trial on new charges, New York prosecutors forged ahead and filed charges against Maxwell. She was arrested in July 2020 on six charges related to sex trafficking.
The trial, in Manhattan, involved testimony from just four of the women — though the Miami Herald had tracked down more than 60 who said they were abused. Some of the four testified under pseudonyms. Some used their own names. Though they were denied the opportunity to confront Epstein in court, they could do this. They could testify about Maxwell’s part in the abuse — helping to procure vulnerable girls, some as young as 14, for Epstein. They climbed onto that witness stand and they told everyone what happened to them, no matter how hard it was to talk about.
When the deliberations went on through the holidays, Maxwell’s lawyers seemed to think the length of time was an indication that the jury believed their defense, that Maxwell was scapegoated after Epstein died. Through it all, the victims had to hang on, placing their faith in our courts and the jury.
Wednesday, their confidence was rewarded. Maxwell was convicted. Finally, after far too long, they had been heard.
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This story was originally published December 29, 2021 at 6:06 PM.