Socialite Ghislaine Maxwell learned her Prison sentence on Tuesday.
Judge Alison J. Nathan sentenced Maxwell to 20 years in Prison, a sentence that ensures the 60-year-old will likely spend much of her remaining life in Prison, The New York Times reported.
Maxwell was convicted on five counts of federal sex trafficking in December.
A federal jury decided that Maxwell committed the crimes as a leading figure in Jeffrey Epsteinâs sex trafficking ring. Epstein died in New Yorkâs Metropolitan Detention Center while awaiting his own trial.
âMaxwell was a sophisticated predator who knew exactly what she was doing,â federal prosecutor Alison Moe said in pre-sentencing arguments, according to a separate New York Times report.
âShe manipulated her victims and groomed them for Sexual Abuse.â
Several victims of the British heiress gave statements to the Court before Maxwellâs sentencing. A lawyer for Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre read a statement on her behalf.
âI would never have met Jeffrey Epstein but for you,â the statement said.
âYou deserve to spend the rest of your life in a jail cell. ⌠You deserve to be trapped in a cage.â
Maxwell herself spoke before her sentencing, speaking publicly about Epstein for the first time since her arrest.
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âI believe that Jeffrey Epstein was a manipulative, cunning and controlling man who lived a profoundly compartmentalized life and fooled all of those in his orbit,â Maxwell said of her longtime lover.
âTo you, all the victims ⌠I am sorry for the pain that you experienced,â Maxwell said, stating that Epstein shouldâve been the one held accountable in Court.
The prosecution criticized what it described as Maxwellâs lack of remorse and refusal to take responsibility for her crimes.
The prosecution had sought a minimum sentence of 30 years with a maximum of 55 years, the Times reported.
The defense had argued for Maxwell to serve four to five years in federal Prison.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
