BOCA RATON, Fla. — It may have taken days to deliberate, but prosecutors said justice was served Wednesday. Now, the question turns to what Ghislaine Maxwell's punishment will be.
"What took so long?" attorney Douglas Rudman said.
Rudman said that's his initial reaction to the guilty verdict of Ghislaine Maxwell.
The former prosecutor, now defense attorney, said it appears the jury thoughtfully took its time to come to a guilty verdict.
"The jury was very deliberate in their analysis of the law, their analysis of the jury instructions, and how they followed the law in this case really shows how fair a verdict this was in this case," he said.
Ghislaine Maxwell is convicted for her role in the recruitment and grooming of victims abused by Jeffrey Epstein.
Jurors deliberated for five days before finding her guilty of every count except one.
"She was a wolf in sheep's clothing. There's no doubt in my mind that Epstein wouldn't have been such a prolific predator if it hadn't been for her," Rudman said.
WPTV legal expert Michelle Suskauer said Maxwell is facing serious time.
"Basically, she's facing the rest of her life in prison and that's probably what's going to happen. Sentencing hasn't happened today. It's not happening tomorrow, it's going to be a little bit down the road," she said.
Rudman said there's no question there's going to be an appeal.
"The biggest part of that appeal is going to be whether or not the jury was rushed as a result of COVID, whether or not they felt pressure to return a verdict," he said.
When it comes to sentencing, the judge will determine how much time Maxwell gets, and not the jury.
