The British social member (60) was convicted in December of five charges, including sex trafficking with a minor, for recruiting and caring for four girls to have sexual encounters with Epstein, then her boyfriend, between 1994 and 2004.
Maxwell spoke during her sentencing hearing in federal court in Manhattan before hearing the verdict, calling Epstein a “manipulative, cunning and controlling man” who fooled everyone in his orbit. She said she was “sorry” for the pain her victims were experiencing.
“It’s the biggest regret of my life that I’ve ever met Jeffrey Epstein,” Maxwell said.
In sentencing, U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan said Maxwell did not appear to be remorseful or accepting responsibility.
“Maxwell has directly, repeatedly and over many years participated in a gruesome scheme to lure, transport and transport underage girls, some as young as 14, for sexual abuse by and with Jeffrey Epstein,” Nathan said. .
In often emotional and explicit testimony during the trial, Annie Farmer, a woman known as “Kate,” and two other women testified that Maxwell, who was convicted on five charges, was a central figure in their abuse by Epstein.
Farmer, now a psychologist, said during Tuesday’s hearing that her experience, exploited by Maxwell, “led to considerable shame” that sometimes made her feel like she wanted to “get lost.”
Kate said she is proud to help hold Maxwell accountable.
“Today I can look at Ghislaine and tell her that I have become who I am today despite her and her efforts to make me feel powerless and insignificant, and I will throw that empowerment on my daughter,” Kate said.
Maxwell’s month-long trial at the end of 2021 was widely regarded as the settlement that Epstein – who killed himself in a Manhattan jail cell at the age of 66 in 2019 while awaiting his own sex trafficking trial – never had not.
It was one of the highest profile issues in the wake of the #MeToo movement, which encouraged women to speak out about sexual abuse, often in the hands of rich and powerful people.
Maxwell’s lawyers said she should not be sentenced to more than 5-1 / 4 years, arguing that she escaped for Epstein’s crimes and had already spent considerable time in jail. Prosecutors suggested that Maxwell be sentenced to between 30 and 55 years behind bars.