Ghislaine Maxwell facing up to 65-years in prison for sex trafficking
Posted by  badge  on Jun 30, 2022 - 12:43AM
Maxwell was labelled ‘dangerous’ by the prosecution during her three-week trial last year (Picture: Reuters/PA)

is facing up to 65 years in prison for luring young girls to massage rooms to be molested by .

The 60-year-old was convicted on December 29 on five criminal counts, including recruiting and grooming four girls for Epstein to abuse between 1994 and 2004. 

Ahead of her sentencing, her victims are set to tell a New York court of her ‘relentless and insatiable drive to meet the sexual needs of Epstein’ and their ‘retraumatisation’ over having to give evidence during the trial.

Maxwell, who was labelled ‘dangerous’ by the prosecution during her three-week trial last year was convicted of convicted of sex trafficking minors, conspiracy to entice a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, and conspiracy to transport a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.

She was also found guilty of transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors.

Maxwell’s defence attorneys on Saturday, when they filed a motion saying she had been placed on ‘suicide watch’ and was ‘not permitted to possess and review legal documents’.

Her attorneys had also previously moved for a retrial after it emerged one of the jurors in her trial had failed to disclose he was a victim of sexual abuse, but her conviction was upheld.

Prosecutors have urged the judge to pass a sentence of 30-55 years (Picture: AP)

Today’s hearing will include several victim impact statements, including one from the Duke of York’s accuser, Virginia Giuffre, who is expected to tell the court Maxwell ‘opened the door to hell’.

Andrew has always strenuously denied Ms Giuffre’s allegations.

Other accusers, Annie Farmer, who was 16 when she met Maxwell and Kate, who used a pseudonym have been told their statements can be orally read to the court.

Five other victims have submitted written impact statements to the court.

Prosecutors have urged the judge to pass a sentence of 30-55 years, citing Maxwell’s ‘utter lack of remorse’. 

The statutory maximum term she can serve in total is 65 years.

Maxwell’s victims are set to tell the court of her ‘relentless and insatiable drive to meet the sexual needs of Epstein’ (Picture: PA)

Throughout the trial, the court heard how Maxwell imposed a ‘culture of silence… by design’ at Epstein’s properties, where staff were told to ‘see nothing, hear nothing and say nothing’.

One of Maxwell’s accusers, who testified under the pseudonym ‘Jane’, told jurors that as well as luring her to an orgy at the age of 14, the defendant and Epstein would fondle each other and giggle in front of her.

She also told jurors how Epstein would use sex toys on her ‘even though it hurt’ and did not tell anyone about the abuse because she was ‘terrified’.

Maxwell’s trial also heard how she told another accuser, who testified under the pseudonym ‘Carolyn’, that she had a ‘great body for Epstein and his friends’.

Jurors also heard how Carolyn had been introduced to the predatory pair through Ms Giuffre, and that she had been in the same room while Epstein and Ms Giuffre had sex.

The third accuser, who testified under the pseudonym ‘Kate’, said she had a schoolgirl outfit laid out for her by Maxwell before a sexualised massage with Epstein.

Maxwell’s defence counsel had attempted to distance her from Epstein, but a series of photographs showed the close relationship the pair had.

Epstein was found dead in his cell at a federal jail in Manhattan in August 2019 while he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges.

The death was ruled a suicide.

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