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NEW YORK – Ghislaine Maxwell, a British socialite and girlfriend of dead paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison and a US$750,000 (RM3.3 million) fine for recruiting and trafficking girls for sexual abuse.
Judge Alison J. Nathan, in delivering her judgement said Maxwell’s crimes were “heinous and predatory”, and that she had a pivotal role in working with Epstein to pick young vulnerable victims.
She added that the “very significant sentence” is “ an unmistakable message” that these crimes should be punished, reported the BBC.
Maxwell, however, kept a straight face when the sentence was read in a packed courtroom.
Earlier, the 60-year-old offender said she acknowledged the “pain and anguished experiences” of her victims and that meeting Epstein was her “greatest regret”.
A day before, Maxwell said her late ex-boyfriend was “manipulative” and “controlling”.
She was convicted last December for five out of the six charges related to the sex trafficking of underage girls that took place between 1994 and 2004.
Her lawyers had asked for a five-year prison sentence, and during the trial tried to portray Maxwell as a positive influence while in jail, offering to teach inmates yoga and English.
However, the prosecution had pushed for a prison sentence of 30 to 55 years.
She has been kept in the Brooklyn Metropolitan detention centre since her arrest in July 2020.
Epstein committed suicide in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 while awaiting his sex trafficking trial.
In February, Britain’s Prince Andrew settled a sexual abuse lawsuit with Virginia Giuffre, who said she had been trafficked to the royal by Epstein and Maxwell.
Two of Epstein’s victims, identified as “Jane” and “Carolyn”, testified in Maxwell’s trial that they were as young as 14 when she began grooming them and arranging for them to give massages to Epstein that ended in sexual activity.
Maxwell’s conviction capped a remarkable fall from grace.
An Oxford-educated daughter of the late British press baron Robert Maxwell, she grew up in wealth and privilege as a friend to royalty.
Her circle included Prince Andrew, former US president and real estate baron Donald Trump, and the Clinton family. – The Vibes, June 29, 2022
