Ghislaine Maxwell, who was found guilty of mediating the sexual abuse of financier Jeffrey Epstein for 10 years, will be sentenced at a hearing in Manhattan, New York today. Federal prosecutors want Maxwell, 61, to be sentenced to at least 30 years in prison.
At the hearing in December, Maxwell was found guilty on five of the six counts of mediating for four women abused by Epstein between 1994 and 2004, with a sentence of up to 55 years. Which means Maxwell will spend the rest of his life in prison.
“The jury found Maxwell guilty of facilitating and participating in one of the worst crimes imaginable, the sexual abuse of children,” the statement said.
Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his cell in 2019 in prison, where he was awaiting trial. His death was officially recorded as a suicide.
Of these four victims, Annie Farmer and the women who go by the pseudonym “Kate” are expected to attend today’s hearing.
Maxwell’s lawyers argue that their client should receive a sentence of “well below” the 20 years recommended by federal probation authorities; He wants Maxwell to be seen as the “scapegoat” for Epstein’s crimes and to consider the time he currently spends in jail.
Prosecutors say Maxwell acted “astonishingly ferocious” and should be sentenced to at least 30 years. They argue that he is “a calculated, sophisticated and dangerous criminal who preys on vulnerable young girls and prepares them for sexual exploitation”.
Arrested in July 2020, Maxwell’s application for bail was repeatedly denied. He has since complained of vermin and the odor of sewage in his Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) cell, where he has been held in Brooklyn. His lawyer, who filed the complaint, compared Maxwell’s circumstances to those of Hannibal Lecter in “The Silence of the Lambs.”
It was stated that Maxwell was kept under observation throughout the weekend to prevent a possible suicide attempt. However, his lawyers argue that he is not suicidal.
Who is Ghislaine Maxwell?
Epstein’s one-time girlfriend, Maxwell, is the daughter of British media baron Robert Maxwell, who died in 1991.
It is stated that Maxwell introduced Epstein to names such as Bill Clinton, and Prince Andrew, the third child and second son of the Queen of England 2. Elizabeth, using her connections.
On July 2, 2020, 59-year-old Maxwell, who was arrested by the FBI at his New Hampshire state mansion and sent to New York to be brought before a judge, claims that he was unaware of the sexual abuse allegations against Epstein.