What Is Embattled Prince Andrew's Fate After Ghislaine Maxwell's Sex Trafficking Conviction?

On Wednesday, Ghislaine Maxwell, a close associate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was also convicted in New York of recruiting and grooming underage girls for years for the American financier.

Maxwell, who turned 60 on Christmas Day, may spend the rest of her life behind bars after the court hammered home the unanimous verdict on five of six counts. Following the announcement, she showed no emotion and poured herself a cup of water before conferring with her lawyer, New York Post reported.

The youngest child of the late publishing tycoon Robert Maxwell, Ghislaine received a conviction on several counts, including the sex trafficking of minors, which carries a maximum of 40 years in prison.

For five days, the jury deliberated, reviewing troves of evidence and witness testimony before finding Maxwell guilty. A sentencing date will be revealed in the coming days.

“The road to justice has been far too long. But, today, justice has been done,” U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams said in a statement per CBS News.

“I want to commend the bravery of the girls — now grown women — who stepped out of the shadows and into the courtroom. Their courage and willingness to face their abuser made this case, and today’s result, possible," it continued.

In closing statements, Maxwell’s camp argued she was an innocent scapegoat in the Epstein saga as prosecutors convinced the 12 jurors that the Oxford-educated heiress was a “sophisticated predator” who coerced young, vulnerable girls into developing sexual relations with Epstein.

Subsequently, Prince Andrew’s lawyers gathered for emergency talks overnight after Maxwell's conviction as the senior royal is accused by Virginia Roberts Giuffre of sexually abusing her when she was 17. Giuffre ultimately claimed she was trafficked by Epstein and Maxwell.

According to sources, the Duke of York's legal camp is considering calling "Carolyn," one of the accusers called in during Maxwell’s trial, to help in his civil case.

They intend to use her testimony as their smoking gun after she previously told the court it was Giuffre, not Maxwell, who sent her to the late pedophile's Palm Beach mansion in the early 2000s.