Lauren Book Weighs in on Ghislaine Maxwell Verdict

Sen. Lauren Book/ The Floridian

After being found guilty on 5 of 6 charges this week, Ghislaine Maxwell was finally served justice for her involvement with helping Jeffrey Epstein sexually exploit young girls.  Now, State Senator Lauren Book (D-32) is weighing in on the verdict.

Senator Book is not only the Democrat Leader in the Florida Senate, but also the founder and CEO of Lauren's Kids, a non-profit that educates adults as well as children about the dangers of sexual abuse, and how to prevent it.  Book has kept a legislative agenda in the Senate that prioritizing these issues, having been a sexual assault survivor herself.

However, this is not the first time that Senator Book has had a run in with the likes of Jeffrey Epstein.  During her time as Senator, Book called for the FDLE to examine the "sweetheart deals," given to Epstein by Palm Beach County law enforcement, and legal teams.

Book described Epstein's confidant, Ghislaine Maxwell,  as, "a dangerous predator who helped Jeffrey Epstein groom, exploit, and traffic dozens of vulnerable young girls," adding that, "Despite evading justice for years, today’s verdict shows that what’s done in darkness will always come to light and that survivors’ voices matter."

The Senator also commented on the content of the trial, giving credit to the witnesses who testified against Maxwell in the high stakes case, "The brave women who testified in the trials against Maxwell and Epstein not only held their own abusers accountable, but also paved the way for other survivors to come forward and with the knowledge that they too can be heard and believed."  She then concluded, "Times have changed: no matter how rich and powerful, if you seek to harm or exploit children, justice will be served.”

Lauren Book has essentially dedicated her entire political career towards combatting sex crimes at all levels.  Previously, the South Florida Senator has commented on the severity of sex crimes across the country, being one of the first US politicians to call for the resignation of former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-NY).