The 60-year-old, who was described as “dangerous” by the prosecutor during her three-week trial last year, helped lure vulnerable teenagers to the shameful financier’s various properties between 1994 and 2004 so that he sexually abused.
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.
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 did not disclose that he was a victim of sexual abuse, but her conviction was upheld
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 held in a US prison since her arrest in July 2020, will be sentenced on Tuesday morning.