Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted last year of trafficking young girls for financier Jeffrey Epstein for a decade, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.
U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan, as she prepared to hand over her sentence, said that “Ms Maxwell participated directly and repeatedly in a horrific scheme over the years” in trafficking and abusing girls.
Nathan noted that a ‘substantial sentence’ was warranted before the 20-year sentence was imposed.
Several of her accused, including some who testified during her trial, addressed the judge in federal court in Manhattan on Tuesday.
Nathan said at the hearing that she had memoranda of defense and prosecutors, letters from Maxwell’s loved ones, a psychiatric evaluation of Maxwell and victim impact statements.
Maxwell, 60, who wore short bob haircuts, a blue long-sleeved jumpsuit with a long-sleeved shirt underneath and a mask, repeatedly took sips of water while the trial was underway.
When the judge asked if she had reviewed the case file, she replied, “I did have an opportunity to read it.” She would later address the victims and also refer to herself as a ‘victim of Jeffrey Epstein’s help’.
In her statements, she said she hoped the victims would find ‘pleasure’ in her ‘conviction and hard confinement’.
Judge Nathan ruled that federal guidelines require a sentence of about 15 to 19 years, about half of what the government recommended.
Federal prosecutors have also asked Nathan to give Maxwell between 30 and 55 years in prison for playing an ‘instrumental’ role in helping Epstein, her once-boyfriend and longtime business partner, sexually abuse girls from 1994 to 2004.
Maxwell was convicted on three charges: sex trafficking, conspiracy and transportation of a minor with attempted sexual activity.
Prosecutors have asked the judge to hold the British social member accountable for her ‘disturbing role in an extensive child exploitation scheme’.
‘Maxwell was an adult who made her own choices. She made the choice to sexually exploit numerous underage girls. “She made the choice to team up with Epstein for years, work as partners in crime and inflict devastating damage on vulnerable victims,” prosecutors wrote in a June 22 sentencing hearing.
Lawyers for Maxwell argued last week that she should not spend more than five years in jail and not have to pay for Epstein’s crimes.
Maxwell has maintained her innocence since her arrest in July 2020, which took place almost a year after Epstein, 66, was found dead by suicide in a Manhattan jail cell while awaiting his own sex trafficking trial.
Her lawyers insisted on leniency in her sentencing, saying she should receive a sentence “far below” the 20 years recommended by federal probation authorities.
“Mrs Maxwell can and should not bear all the punishment for which Epstein had to be held responsible,” her legal team said.
Her lawyers also say that her life has been difficult and that she has been suffering from terrible prison conditions since her arrest in 2020.
‘Ghislaine Maxwell is not an heir, a villain or a trivial social person. She has worked hard all her life. “She has energy, drive, dedication, a strong work ethic and a desire to do good in the world,” the lawyers said.
They also said she deserved a lighter sentence because of her difficult childhood with an ‘arrogant, narcissistic and demanding father’.
Her lawyers said she was’ vulnerable to Epstein, whom she met just after her father’s death, due to her own traumatic childhood.
“This is the biggest mistake she has made in her life and one she has not and will never repeat.”
In their sentencing paperwork, prosecutors blew the defense’s request for leniency.
‘Ghislaine Maxwell sexually exploited young girls for years. It is difficult to overestimate the extent of her crimes and the damage she has done. Her crimes demand justice, ‘they argued. “The government is appealing to the court to impose a sentence within the applicable guidelines of 360 to 660 months imprisonment.”
They added: ‘Maxwell’s actions were shockingly predatory. She was a calculating, sophisticated and dangerous criminal who hunted down vulnerable young girls and sexually abused them. ‘
While probation authorities, and attorneys on both sides, are making sentencing recommendations, the decision rested with Judge Nathan, who said in her decision that the case demands a substantial sentence.
“A strong sentence will send an unmistakable message that those involved in the sexual abuse and trafficking of minor victims will be held accountable by law,” Nathan said.
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