Ghislaine Maxwell has been sentenced to 20 years behind bars for the role she played in the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking scandal.
Maxwell was found guilty seven months ago but not sentenced until today. On top of that, she'll be forced to pay a $750k fine and 5 years of supervised release once she's out.
Ghislaine Maxwell sentenced to 20 years in prison for recruiting and trafficking teenage girls for sexual abuse by Jeffrey Epstein https://t.co/nWLqF2UwRh
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) June 28, 2022
She was found guilty of five of the six counts she faced. One of the convictions was sex trafficking of a minor.
Annie Farmer, one of Maxwell's victims, spoke up during the trial saying, "Maxwell had many opportunities to come clean, but instead continued to make choices that caused more harm. She chose to lie about her behavior, causing additional harm to all of those she victimized."
Maxwell addressed the court and issued an apology to the victim. “Your honor, it is hard for me to address the court after listening to the pain and anguish expressed in the statements made here today. The terrible impact on the lives of so many women is difficult to hear and even more difficult to absorb, both in its scale and in its extent."
She entered a plea of not guilty and her legal team insists she was made a scapegoat for Epstein and was not guilty.
Prosecutors had their eye on a 30 to 55 year sentencing for Maxwell.
The prison term handed down could be an effective life sentence for Ghislaine Maxwell, 60, but is less than the 30 to 55 years sought by prosecutors. She was also sentenced to five years of probation and a $750,000 fine.https://t.co/1pVoywPYbr
— Bloomberg Law (@BLaw) June 28, 2022
