Ghislaine Maxwell has been sentenced to 20 years in a US prison for helping disgraced former financier Jeffrey Epstein abuse underage girls..Maxwell, 60, was convicted in December of recruiting and trafficking four teenage girls for sexual abuse by Epstein during the time Epstein was her boyfriend..She has been in custody since her arrest in July 2020 and was sentenced on Tuesday to 20 years in jail for her part in the Epstein crimes..US Circuit Judge Alison Nathan read the sentence at a hearing in Manhattan federal court..Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 while awaiting his own sex trafficking trial..Dressed in prison clothes, before her sentencing, Maxwell, apologized to the victims..Maxwell said she empathized with them and meeting Epstein was "the biggest regret" of her life. According to The Guardian, Maxwell’s attorneys had pushed for leniency in sentencing, saying that she should receive “well below” the 20 years recommended by federal probation officials..Prosecutors pushed for a sentence of 30 to 55 years in prison..The jury came to their decision in the trial after 40 hours of deliberations spanning six days..In addition to sex trafficking, Maxwell was also convicted of conspiracy to entice individuals under the age of 17 to travel in interstate commerce with intent to engage in illegal sexual activity, conspiracy to transport individuals under the age of 17 to travel in interstate commerce with intent to engage in illegal sexual activity, transportation of an individual under the age of 17 with intent to engage in illegal sexual activity, and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of individuals under the age of 18..Prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum filed last week in the US District Court for Southern New York that Maxwell enjoyed “a life of extraordinary luxury and privilege” while she engaged in a “disturbing agreement” with Epstein..“Instead of showing even a hint of acceptance of responsibility, the defendant makes a desperate attempt to cast blame wherever else she can,” the prosecutors added..Maxwell's lawyers were asking for just over five years arguing that she was being scapegoated for Epstein's crimes. Now, the 60-year-old woman will likely spend the rest of her life behind bars.
Ghislaine Maxwell has been sentenced to 20 years in a US prison for helping disgraced former financier Jeffrey Epstein abuse underage girls..Maxwell, 60, was convicted in December of recruiting and trafficking four teenage girls for sexual abuse by Epstein during the time Epstein was her boyfriend..She has been in custody since her arrest in July 2020 and was sentenced on Tuesday to 20 years in jail for her part in the Epstein crimes..US Circuit Judge Alison Nathan read the sentence at a hearing in Manhattan federal court..Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 while awaiting his own sex trafficking trial..Dressed in prison clothes, before her sentencing, Maxwell, apologized to the victims..Maxwell said she empathized with them and meeting Epstein was "the biggest regret" of her life. According to The Guardian, Maxwell’s attorneys had pushed for leniency in sentencing, saying that she should receive “well below” the 20 years recommended by federal probation officials..Prosecutors pushed for a sentence of 30 to 55 years in prison..The jury came to their decision in the trial after 40 hours of deliberations spanning six days..In addition to sex trafficking, Maxwell was also convicted of conspiracy to entice individuals under the age of 17 to travel in interstate commerce with intent to engage in illegal sexual activity, conspiracy to transport individuals under the age of 17 to travel in interstate commerce with intent to engage in illegal sexual activity, transportation of an individual under the age of 17 with intent to engage in illegal sexual activity, and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of individuals under the age of 18..Prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum filed last week in the US District Court for Southern New York that Maxwell enjoyed “a life of extraordinary luxury and privilege” while she engaged in a “disturbing agreement” with Epstein..“Instead of showing even a hint of acceptance of responsibility, the defendant makes a desperate attempt to cast blame wherever else she can,” the prosecutors added..Maxwell's lawyers were asking for just over five years arguing that she was being scapegoated for Epstein's crimes. Now, the 60-year-old woman will likely spend the rest of her life behind bars.