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Ghislaine Maxwell Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Sex Trafficking

Photo credit: Patrick McMullan - Getty Images
Photo credit: Patrick McMullan - Getty Images

Update June 28, 2022:

Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's ex-girlfriend and longtime associate, was sentenced to 20 years in prison today. She was also fined $750,000, the maximum allowable under the law.

In December 2021, Maxwell was found guilty on 5 of the 6 charges against her in a Manhattan court, including sex trafficking of a minor, transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, and three related counts of conspiracy. She was acquitted on one count of enticing a minor to travel across state lines to engage in an illegal sexual act.

After listening to a number of victim impact statements in court today, Maxwell shared a statement. "It is my sincerest wish to all those in this courtroom and to all those outside this courtroom that this day brings a terrible chapter to the end, to an end. And to those of you who spoke here today and those of you who did not, may this day help you travel from darkness into the light."


Originally published December 20, 2021:

On July 2, 2020, Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested on multiple criminal charges related to the trafficking and sexual abuse of young women and girls. She was denied bail, and remained behind bars until her trial began in November 2021.

Here's what we know about her case so far:

She was arrested in New Hampshire in July 2020.

Multiple outlets including CNN, NBC News, and the Washington Post confirmed that she was arrested by officials on July 2 at her home, a luxurious compound on 156 acres in Bradford, New Hampshire.

According to the New York Times, Maxwell tried to flee when the FBI arrived at her home. A report in the publication reads:

When F.B.I. agents went to arrest Ghislaine Maxwell on the morning of July 2 on a remote property in New Hampshire, they broke through her locked gate, approached the front door and announced themselves, telling her to open the door, federal prosecutors said in newly filed court papers on Monday. Through a window, the agents saw her ignore their order and flee to another room in the house, quickly shutting the door behind her, the prosecutors wrote.

The news came almost exactly one year after Epstein was arrested on multiple charges related to sex trafficking, but that case did not go to trial, as he died in jail before it could begin.

Following Epstein's arrest, Maxwell largely disappeared from public life, but several of Epstein's alleged victims spoke out about her involvement in their trafficking, something Maxwell has denied many times both in public statements and court documents.

Maxwell faces charges related to the sexual abuse of young women and girls by Jeffrey Epstein.

She was formally charged with six counts, which range from "transporting a minor for the purposes of criminal sexual activity" to "conspiring to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts," to perjury related to statements she made before the United States District Court for the Southern District in New York in 2016.

While Epstein pleaded guilty to a felony charge of solicitation of prostitution involving a minor in 2018, served time in prison and was required to register as a sex offender, this is the first time Maxwell has faced charges related to sexual abuse or trafficking.

The indictment reads in part:

"From at least in or about 1994, up to and including at least in or about 1997, Maxwell assisted, facilitated, and contributed to Jeffrey Epstein's abuse of minor girls by, among other things, helping Epstein to recruit, groom, and ultimately abuse victims known to Maxwell and Epstein to be under the age of 18. The victims were as young as 14 years old when they were groomed and abused by Maxwell and Epstein, both of whom knew that certain victims were in fact under the age of 18.

Read the full indictment here.

Watch a portion of the press conference announcing Maxwell's charges here:

In March of 2021, additional sex trafficking charges were added to Maxwell's indictment, including a charge related to the sex-trafficking of a minor, a 14-year-old girl.

"The rewritten indictment added a sex trafficking conspiracy and a sex trafficking charge against Maxwell. It also added a fourth girl to the allegations, saying she was sexually abused multiple times by Epstein between 2001 and 2004 at his Palm Beach, Florida, residence, beginning when she was 14 years old," reports the Associated Press.

"The indictment said Maxwell groomed the girl to engage in sex acts with Epstein through multiple ways, including by giving her lingerie and hundreds of dollars in cash and by encouraging the girl to recruit other young females to provide 'sexualized massages' to Epstein."

She pleaded not guilty to the original charges.

Maxwell was transferred to a federal detention facility in Brooklyn on July 6. A virtual court appearance took place on Tuesday, July 14.

Per Politico, ahead of the hearing, prosecutors said Maxwell "poses an extreme risk of flight," due to her enormous personal wealth, three passports, and extensive international contacts, and has “absolutely no reason to stay in the United States and face the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence.”

She pleaded not guilty to the original six counts..

Maxwell's lawyers have said she "vigorously denies the charges, intends to fight them, and is entitled to the presumption of innocence."

She was denied bail.

Per journalist Julie K. Brown, Maxwell has proposed that "she serve her pretrial detention in a luxury Manhattan hotel."

But she was denied bail. "The court finds by a preponderance of the evidence that no combination could reasonably assure her presence in court," US District Judge Alison Nathan said per CNN. "The risks are simply too great."

Her trial date is set for November 2021.

It's expected to last multiple weeks.

It will be a jury trial.

Read Jill Kargman's account of the jury selection process, here.

A court publicly released previously sealed documents related to Maxwell's case.

Included in the documents, which were released in late July 2021 are emails between Epstein and Maxwell from early 2015. Some depositions remained sealed. Read the documents in full, here.

Donald Trump has weighed in on her case.

In a press conference in late July, then-President Trump was asked about Maxwell, whom he had met and been photographed with on multiple occasions, and more specifically about her relationship to Prince Andrew.

"I haven't really been following [the case] that much. I just wish her well, frankly," the President said. "I've met her numerous times over the years, especially since I lived in Palm Beach, and I guess they lived in Palm Beach. But I wish her well, whatever it is. I don't know the situation with Prince Andrew."

Maxwell dated Epstein for years.

Maxwell, a British socialite, and the daughter of publisher Robert Maxwell, met Epstein in the '90s. She was his companion for years, and helped to introduce him to many of her high-profile friends including Queen Elizabeth's son, Prince Andrew.

Per the indictment, "In particular, between in or about 1994 and in or about 1997, Maxwell was in an intimate relationship with Epstein and was also paid by Epstein to manage his various properties."

Epstein was arrested in July of 2019.

He was charged with sex trafficking and conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking. Following the indictment, Epstein pleaded not guilty on both charges. He was denied bail and remained in jail until August 10, when several media outlets confirmed that Epstein had died by apparent suicide.

This is a developing story. We will continue to update as additional details are made public.

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