, who was convicted last year of trafficking young girls for financier to abuse for the course of a decade, has been sentenced to 20 years in jail.
US District Judge Alison Nathan, while preparing to issue her sentence, said that Maxwell ‘directly and repeatedly and over the course of many years participated in a horrific scheme’ to traffic and abuse girls.
Nathan noted that a ‘substantial sentence’ was warranted before handing down Maxwell’s punishment, which included a $750,000 fine, the maximum penalty under the law.
in the Manhattan federal court house Tuesday.
Nathan said at the top of the hearing that she had memorandums from the defense and prosecutors, letters from Maxwell’s loved ones, a psychiatric evaluation of Maxwell and victim impact statements.
Maxwell, 60, donning a short bob haircut, a blue long-sleeve jumpsuit with a long-sleeve shirt underneath it and a mask, repeatedly took sips of water as the hearing got underway.
When asked by the judge if she reviewed the case material, she replied: ‘I did have an opportunity to read it.’ She would later address the victims while also
In her statements, which she read shortly before receiving her sentence, Maxwell said she hoped the victims would find ‘pleasure’ in her ‘conviction and harsh incarceration.’
Judge Nathan had ruled that federal guidelines called for a sentence within the range of about 15 to 19 years, about half of what the government recommended.
Federal prosecutors had 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 be sentenced on three counts: sex trafficking, conspiracy and transportation of a minor with the intent to engage in illegal sexual activity.
Prosecutors have asked the judge to hold the British socialite 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 conspire with Epstein for years, working as partners in crime and causing devastating harm to vulnerable victims,’ prosecutors wrote in a June 22 sentencing memo.
Attorneys for Maxwell argued last week that.
Maxwell has maintained her innocence ever since her July 2020 arrest, 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 attorneys pushed for leniency in her sentencing, saying she should receive a punishment ‘well below’ the 20 years recommended by federal probation authorities.
‘Ms Maxwell cannot and should not bear all the punishment for which Epstein should have been held responsible,’ her legal team said.
Her lawyers also say that her life has been difficult and she has already suffered through terrible jail conditions since her arrest in 2020.
‘Ghislaine Maxwell is not an heiress, villain, or vapid socialite. She has worked hard her entire life. She has energy, drive, commitment, a strong work ethic, and desire to do good in the world,’ the lawyers said.
They also said that she is deserving of a more lenient sentencing because of her difficult childhood with an ‘overbearing, narcissistic and demanding father.’
Her attorneys said that, because of her own traumatic childhood, she was ‘vulnerable to Epstein, whom she met right after her father’s death.’
‘It is the biggest mistake she made in her life and one that she has not and never will repeat.’
In their sentencing paperwork, prosecutors blasted the defense’s request for leniency.
‘Ghislaine Maxwell sexually exploited young girls for years. It is difficult to overstate the magnitude of her crimes and the harm she caused. Her crimes demand justice,’ they argued. ‘The government urges the court to impose a sentence within the applicable guidelines range of 360 to 660 months’ imprisonment.’
They added: ‘Maxwell’s conduct was shockingly predatory. She was a calculating, sophisticated, and dangerous criminal who preyed on vulnerable young girls and groomed them for sexual abuse.’
While probation authorities, and lawyers on both sides, make sentencing recommendations, the decision rested with Judge Nathan, who in her decision said that the case demanded a substantial sentence.
‘A substantial sentence will send an unmistakable message that those who engage in the sexual abuse and trafficking of underage victims will be held accountable by the law,’ Nathan said.
While attorneys for Maxwell plan to appeal, if the conviction is upheld, she could leave prison in her late 70s.
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