Hello, I'm Debbie Russ with the BBC News.The British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell has been convicted of trafficking underage girls for sexual abuse by the late US financier Jeffrey Epstein.A jury in New York found the 60-year-old guilty on five out of six charges connected with procuring the victims and facilitating the abuse.Maxwell wore a black face mask and appeared to show little reaction before being led from the courtroom.Her defense team is expected to appeal.Nomia Iqbal is outside the court.Ghislaine Maxwell had always claimed she was being made a scapegoat for the crimes of her former companion Jeffrey Epstein.But a jury has backed the prosecution's case that she was a partner in his crimes, finding her guilty on five of the six charges she faced.They all related to the testimony of four women who say Maxwell facilitated their sexual abuse and sometimes participated in it as well more than a decade ago when they were under 18.Ghislaine Maxwell turned 60 years old on Christmas Day.She now faces a sentence of up to 65 years in jail if she is asked to serve them consecutively, which means she will spend the rest of her life locked up.During Ghislaine Maxwell's trial, a number of famous people were mentioned as having had some association with Jeffrey Epstein.They included former US President Bill Clinton and Donald Trump and Prince Andrew, a son of Queen Elizabeth.None has been charged with crimes related to Epstein.Maxwell had a longstanding friendship with the Prince. He's now embroiled in a civil lawsuit in which Virginia Jeffrey, one of Epstein accusers, claims she was trafficked to have sex with the Prince when she was 17, and a minor under US law.
