Ghislaine Maxwell has been given a 20-year prison term

Ghislaine Maxwell has been given a 20-year prison term

 

Disgraced socialite Ghislaine Maxwell received a 20-year prison term for her role in the juvenile sex trafficking operation that financier Jeffrey Epstein ran with her assistance for ten years.

The sentence given on Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan is the most tangible one to date for the years of abuse that Maxwell and Epstein inflicted on young girls.

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Many of those girls, who are now adults, testified during the trial, bravely revealing the years of abuse they endured after being drawn into Maxwell and Epstein’s orbit. The two frequently made advantage of their connections to prominent figures like Prince Andrew, Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump as well as the appeal of riches.

 

In a statement posted to Twitter by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams stated that “Today’s sentencing holds Ghislaine Maxwell accountable for committing horrible crimes against children.” It is strongly implied by this sentence that no one is above the law and that justice can always be served.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ghislaine Maxwell has been given a 20-year prison term

 

 

 

 

Tuesday was a second hearing for the women. Over Maxwell’s protests, eight women sent victim impact statements to the court outlining the long-term repercussions of Maxwell’s actions. Six of the victims were also permitted to speak at the hearing, according to Nathan’s decision.

Maxwell was asked to serve up to 55 years by the prosecution.

Maxwell was recommended for a 20-year sentence by the U.S. Probation Department, in accordance with federal standards for offenses that were “heinous and predatory in nature.” However, prosecutors requested a sentence of 30 to 55 years, given the volume of victims and Maxwell’s denial of guilt.

After a jury found 60-year-old Maxwell guilty of sex trafficking with a juvenile and other serious charges, she was sentenced around six months later. At a prison in Manhattan, Epstein, a convicted sex offender, passed away in August 2019. He had been detained by the authorities a month earlier. His demise was deemed to be a suicide.

 

Maxwell argued that she is being punished for the misdeeds of her longtime companion and requested a sentence of only about five years in prison.

Her attorney stated in a court document earlier this month that “Epstein was the mastermind, Epstein was the major abuser,” which was significant because it was one of the few times Maxwell acknowledged sexual crimes had occurred.

Maxwell has “had terrible times” in the Metropolitan Detention Center where she is being kept, according to her defense team, who also noted that her life has been endangered there. However, the prosecution rejected those arguments and emphasized Maxwell’s “total lack of remorse” for her deeds.

 

Additionally, the prosecution requested that Nathan fine Maxwell the highest amount possible for her crimes, which is $750,000. The victims who took part in the lawsuit had already received money through the Epstein Victim Compensation Program and/or civil settlements, thus they decided not to pursue financial reparations.

 

 

Epstein lavishly rewarded Maxwell, the United States claims Maxwell and Epstein “worked together to find girls, groom them, and then lure them to travel and bring them to Epstein’s residences,” according to US authorities, from 1994 to 2004. It is claimed that the couple frequently commuted between Epstein’s mansion on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, a villa in Palm Beach, a ranch in New Mexico, a private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and a Paris flat. They claim that in exchange, Maxwell lived a “lavish lifestyle” and was catered to by private personnel. Maxwell also received a townhouse in New York City that Epstein purchased for her, and throughout the course of the conspiracy, Epstein transferred a total of almost $23 million to Maxwell, according to the sentencing memorandum.

 

8 survivors submitted written victim impact statements

 

Victim impact statements from eight women who claim Maxwell mistreated and abused them for years were sent to the court so it could determine Maxwell’s punishment. While some of them spoke to the judge, others talked to Maxwell directly.

Included among them are Maria and Annie Farmer, sisters who initially came forward in the 1990s in an effort to warn authorities that Epstein was a serial sex offender whoharmed adolescents and young women.

 

They explained how their destinies were taken from them at a young age. Many victims claimed that by preying on their youth and innocence, their abusers destroyed their confidence in themselves and left lasting wounds.

As Annie Farmer put it in her statement, “This poisonous combination of being sexually exposed and used, feeling confused and naive, and blaming myself all resulted in enormous shame.” “That nauseating sensation that makes you want to vanish.”

The victims talked about hiding horrible memories for a long time only to have them reappear as they became older. They also talked about how difficult it is to pursue justice against someone who won’t repent.

 

Victims alleged threats followed years of abuse

Maria Farmer said her future as an artist was ruined by Maxwell and Epstein when she met them in 1996. She also told the judge that she suffers from PTSD from years of abuse and threats.

“She assured me that I could be killed walking down my favorite path in NYC,” Farmer said. “….Her threats have never left my mind and I believe she will harm me if she ever has a way. Please keep this in mind when determining her terms of imprisonment. She is a very dangerous and devious individual.”

Another survivor, Sarah Ransome, said Epstein and Maxwell threatened that her family would be killed if she ever tried to escape what she calls a “dungeon of sexual hell.” Ransome, who fled to the U.K. in 2007, told the judge that she has proof Epstein tried to find her 10 years later.

She also included photos with her statement that she said showed her in the hospital, badly injured after surviving two suicide attempts.

“Simply put, Ghislaine Maxwell is a monster,” another survivor, Juliette Bryant, wrote in her brief statement. As in other statements, Bryant also said she was grateful to see the crimes exposed, with the hope of justice finally found.

Ghislaine Maxwell has been given a 20-year prison term