Epstein associates should be 'shaking in their boots' after Maxwell's guilty verdict: Chaffetz

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Chaffetz: People behind Epstein operation should be 'shaking in their boots'

Jason Chaffetz reacts to the verdict of Ghislaine Maxwell on 'The Five.'

Fox News contributor Jason Chaffetz said Wednesday that associates of Ghislaine Maxwell should be "shaking in their boots" after the British socialite was convicted of recruiting and grooming minors to be abused by her and the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

A Manhattan jury found Maxwell guilty of five of the six counts against her in what officials referred to late Wednesday as "one of the worst crimes imaginable." The longtime Epstein madam now faces up to 65 years in prison for trafficking four teenagers between 1994 and 2004.

MAXWELL FOUND GUILTY ON FIVE OF SIX COUNTS

Chaffetz praised the verdict on "The Five" Wednesday, commending the jury for reaching the decision after six days of deliberation. But the former congressman cautioned federal prosecutors from filing away the case just yet, urging them to continue their pursuit of other Epstein associates who played a part in his elaborate trafficking web.

"I hope these victims have at least a sense of some justice, but I have to tell you, there are a lot of people who have been watching from the sideline who do believe that it wasn’t just her," Chaffetz said. "And it wasn’t just Jeffrey Epstein. There were a whole horde of people that were taking advantage of these young women. Those people need to be prosecuted."

NEW YORK CITY, NY - MARCH 15: Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell attend de Grisogono Sponsors The 2005 Wall Street Concert Series Benefitting Wall Street Rising, with a Performance by Rod Stewart at Cipriani Wall Street on March 15, 2005 in New York City. (Photo by Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images) (Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

"They should be shaking in their boots right now knowing that the federal government is going to come get them and prosecute them," he added. "If this is the end of the case, I think a lot of us will be very disappointed that they fell far short of those that should be prosecuted."

Three of the victims, Jane, Kate and Carolyn, testified during Maxwell's trial. Jane said she met Maxwell and Epstein at a music camp when she was 14 and was lured back to his Palm Beach mansion where the couple allegedly fondled her. Kate testified that she was 17 when Maxwell introduced her to the convicted pedophile and asked her to give Epstein a sexual massage.

Carolyn testified that she met Epstein and Maxwell when she was 14. She was paid to give Epstein sexual massages and to recruit friends that were her age or younger. The abuse ended when she turned 18. "That’s when I realized I was too old," she told jurors.

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"Ghislaine Maxwell was dangerous," Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison Moe said in closing statements. "She manipulated her victims and groomed them. She caused deep and lasting harm to young girls. It’s time to hold her accountable."