Disgraced British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell is facing upto 65 years in prison after being convicted on five counts of sex trafficking among other crimes.

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The 60-year-old is said to have played a role in recruiting and grooming underage girls for her "partner in crime" and convicted sex predator Jeffrey Epstein.  

Ghislaine was accused of setting Jeffrey up with four teenagers to molest in massage rooms between 1994 and 2004 at his various properties.

On top of being convicted with sex trafficking of a minor and sex trafficking conspiracy, she was also found guilty of one count of violating the Mann Act, a law passed in the 1910s that criminalises transporting a person across state lines to commit a criminal sexual act, and two charges of conspiracy to violate the Mann Act.

However, Ghislaine was acquitted of enticing a young girl who went by the pseudonym "Jane" to travel in order to commit illegal sexual activity.

Jane had earlier testified that she was sexually abused by Maxwell and Epstein at the latter's home in Palm Beach, Florida and that Maxwell arranged for her to travel to Epstein's New York townhouse and his ranch in New Mexico where the abuse continued.

The convictions were made in part due to testimony by a woman who went by the name "Carolyn". In the testimony, which was corroborated by her ex-boyfriend, she told the court that Ghislaine hired her as a 14-year-old to engage in sexual massages with Epstein for $300 a session. This occurred several times a week until Carolyn turned 18.

Little remorse

As the verdicts were read out in a federal court in New York, Maxwell appeared to show little reaction behind a black mask.

She stood with her hands folded as the jury filed out and glanced at her siblings as she was led from the courtroom.

Speaking to the press, the Maxwell family vowed to appeal the ruling as soon a possible.

"We believe firmly in our sister's innocence - we are very disappointed with the verdict. We have already started the appeal tonight and we believe that she will ultimately be vindicated", it said in a statement.

Her lawyers have also claimed that she's being scapegoated for the crimes of Mr. Epstein, who died by apparent suicide back in 2019.

However, her conviction was welcomed by Epstein's victims, activists and members of the public. Virginia Giuffre, an alleged victim of Epstein and Maxwell, tweeted: "My soul yearned for justice for years and today the jury gave me just that. I will remember this day always."

The trial lasted 13 days, including 10 days for the prosecution case and two days for the defence, and was heard from 33 witnesses.

Maxwell has spent almost a year and a half in prison in New York, and she and her family have repeatedly complained about the conditions at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn. She also faces two perjury charges, which defence lawyers successfully argued should be tried separately.

She will be sentenced at a later date.