Ghislaine Maxwell sentencing: Prosecutors call on judge to sentence socialite to at least 30 years in prison

Judge Alison Nathan will be sentenced in a Manhattan court on Tuesday for the disgraceful social member, 60, after he was convicted on a series of charges of sex abuse.

The prosecutor urged Judge Nathan to give Maxwell a minimum sentence of 30 years – up to 55 years.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison Moe said Maxwell was Epstein’s “right-hand man” and made his crimes possible.

Ms Moe said: “” What kind of person persuades young girls to massage the feet of a middle-aged man? “

“It’s the actions of a person who is indifferent to the suffering of other people.”

Her defense attorneys claimed the correct sentence range is between four and five years.

Judge Nathan said if a number of aggravating factors are taken into account, the guidelines will put the case between 15 and a half years and 19 and a half years.

Victim Annie Farmer told the court that she felt “great survivor’s guilt” and “considerable shame”.

Meanwhile, a British model known only as Kate told the court Maxwell “does not think what she did is wrong” and “she is not sorry and she will do it again”.

After reading a series of victim impact statements, Ghislaine Maxwell said: “It is difficult for me to address the court after listening to the pain and anxiety expressed in the statements made here today.”

Maxwell, who was described as “dangerous” by the prosecutor during her three-week trial last year, helped lure vulnerable teenagers between 1994 and 2004 to the shameful financier’s various properties for him to sexually abuse.

Maxwell victims are going to tell the court in the Southern District of New York about her “relentless and insatiable quest to meet Epstein’s sexual needs” and their “re-traumatization” about having to testify during the trial.

The socialite was convicted in December last year of sex trafficking with minors, conspiracy to encourage a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, and conspiracy to transport a minor in an attempt to engage in criminal sexual activity to take.

She was also convicted of transporting a minor in an attempt to engage in criminal sexual activity and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors.

Sarah Ransome and Elizabeth Stein, victims of Epstein, appeared in court on Tuesday afternoon before sentencing.

Judge Nathan set aside a series of objections raised by Maxwell’s lawyers over the pre-sentence report, which is being prepared by probation officers. This includes details of her and Epstein’s activities, such as payments and sexual acts.

Maxwell’s defense lawyers called for a postponement of sentencing proceedings through a motion filed Saturday, in which they said she was placed on “suicide watch” and “not allowed to possess and review legal documents”.

Her attorneys also previously asked for a retrial after it emerged one of the jurors in her trial failed to disclose that he was a victim of sexual abuse, but her conviction was upheld.

During the morning session of her sentencing hearing, Ghislaine Maxwell regularly played with her hair and adjusted her mask.

Before the trial, Maxwell entered the room with handcuffs around her ankles rattling as she made her way to her seat.

Maxwell regularly took sips from her water, which was delivered to her by her sister Isabel before the trial began.

Before the lunch break broke, Judge Alison Nathan said she was still planning to impose a fine on the defendant after the court heard that Jeffrey Epstein had left a £ 10 million bequest to her.

Despite not being part of the indictment, the victim’s impact statement of the Duke of York’s prosecutor, Virginia Giuffre, must be read to the court where she says Maxwell “opened the door to hell”.

Andrew called me. Giuffre’s allegations have always been strictly denied.

Other defendants, Annie Farmer and Kate, were told that their statements could be read orally to the court, while five others were told they could only submit them in written format.

In their sentencing, prosecutors urged Judge Alison Nathan to impose a sentence of between 30 and 55 years for Maxwell’s crimes.

The statutory maximum term that Maxwell can serve in total is 65 years.

Throughout the trial, the court heard how she enforced a “culture of silence… by design” at Epstein’s properties, where staff were told to “see nothing, hear nothing and say nothing”.

One of Maxwell’s defendants, who testified under the pseudonym “Jane”, told jurors that the accused and Epstein, in addition to luring her to an orgy at the age of 14, would caress each other and giggle in front of her.

She also told jurors how Epstein would use sex toys on her “even if it hurt” and did not tell anyone about the abuse because she was “scared” and “felt rude and ashamed”.

Maxwell’s trial also heard her tell another accuser, who testified under the pseudonym “Carolyn”, that she had a “large body for Epstein and his friends”.

Carolyn said the defendant touched her breasts in Epstein’s massage room before telling her she had a “large body type”.

Jurors also heard how Carolyn was introduced to the predator couple by Ms Giuffre and that she was in the same room while Epstein and Ms Giuffre had sex.

The third accused, who testified under the pseudonym “Kate”, said she had a schoolgirl outfit by Maxwell laid out for her before a sexualized massage with Epstein.

Kate said the accused then told her to drink Epstein’s tea in the outfit, and when the accuser asked why the outfit was on her bed, Maxwell said she “thought it would be fun.”

The jury was told Maxwell asked Kate if she knew of anyone who could come to her house and give Epstein oral sex because it was “a lot for her to do”.

The only accused who testified under her full name, Annie Farmer, told jurors she was left “frozen” when the social member asked her to pull out for a massage and rubbed her breasts.

Ms Farmer said the defendant encouraged her to get a massage after she taught her at the age of 16 how to rub Epstein’s feet.

Maxwell’s lawyer tried to distance herself from Epstein, but a series of photos showed the close relationship between the two.

Epstein was found dead in his cell in a federal prison in Manhattan in August 2019 while awaiting trial on a charge of sex trafficking.

Death was considered a suicide.

Maxwell, who has been detained in a U.S. prison since her arrest in July 2020, will be sentenced Tuesday morning, New York time.