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A4 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 29 June 2022
Ghislaine Maxwell sentenced to 20 years for helping Epstein

By TOM HAYS and Virginia Giuffre, claimed
LARRY NEUMEISTER that Epstein and Maxwell
Associated Press had also pressured her
NEW YORK (AP) — Ghislaine into sexual trysts with other
Maxwell, the jet-setting so- powerful men, including
cialite who once consorted Prince Andrew. All of those
with royals, presidents and men denied the allega-
billionaires, was sentenced tions, and Giuffre ultimately
Tuesday to 20 years in pris- settled a lawsuit against
on for helping the finan- Andrew out of court.
cier Jeffrey Epstein sexually Federal prosecutors in
abuse underage girls. New York revived the case
The stiff sentence was the against Epstein after stories
punctuation mark on a trial by the Miami Herald in 2018
that explored the sordid brought new attention to
rituals of a predator power his crimes. He was arrested
couple who courted the in 2019, but killed himself a
rich and famous as they ex- month later.
ploited vulnerable girls as Eleven months after his
young as 14. death, Maxwell was ar-
Prosecutors said Epstein, rested at a New Hampshire
who killed himself in 2019 estate. Since then, she has
while awaiting trial, sexually been jailed in a federal fa-
abused children hundreds cility in New York City.
of times over more than Her lawyers fought to have
a decade, and couldn't Christine Maxwell, left, Kevin Maxwell, rear center, and Isabel Maxwell, right, siblings of Ghislaine her conviction tossed out
have done so without the Maxwell, leave federal court, Tuesday, June 28, 2022, in New York. on the grounds of juror mis-
help of Maxwell, his long- Associated Press conduct. Days after the
time companion. verdict, one juror gave
A jury in December con- was briefly overcome with counted how Maxwell and identify herself in court by media interviews in which
victed Maxwell, 60, of sex emotion as she addressed Epstein "molested these her real name, after speak- he disclosed he had been
trafficking, transporting a the judge before the sen- kids together." She called ing out publicly. sexually abused as a child
minor to participate in ille- tence was pronounced. Maxwell "a person who was They described how Max- — something he hadn't told
gal sex acts and two con- "We will continue to live indifferent to the suffering well charmed them with the court during jury selec-
spiracy charges. with the harm she caused of other human beings." conversation and gifts and tion. Maxwell's lawyers said
Judge Alison J. Nathan, us," Farmer said. Epstein and Maxwell's as- promises that Epstein could she deserved a new trial. A
who also imposed a The judge said Maxwell sociations with some of use his wealth and con- judge disagreed.
$750,000 fine, noted that was being punished for her the world's most famous nections to help fulfill their At least eight women sub-
Maxwell never expressed "heinous and predatory" people were not a promi- dreams. mitted letters to the judge,
remorse. The judge said crimes, not Epstein's. She nent part of the trial, but Then, they testified, she led describing the sexual abuse
she wanted the sentence criticized Maxwell's "pattern mentions of friends such as them to give massages to they said they endured.
to send an "unmistakable of deflection and blame." Bill Clinton, Donald Trump Epstein that turned sexual Anne Holve and Philip Max-
message." Four survivors at the sen- and Britain's Prince Andrew and played it off as normal. well, her eldest siblings,
Maxwell, wearing a blue tencing described their showed how the pair ex- Carolyn testified that she wrote to the court to ask for
prison uniform and a white sexual abuse, including ploited their connections was one of several under- leniency and said that their
mask to conform with coro- Farmer, who said she and to impress their prey. privileged teens who lived sister's relationship with Ep-
navirus rules, looked to one her sister tried to go pub- Over the past 17 years, near Epstein's Florida home stein began soon after the
side as the sentence was lic with their stories about scores of women have ac- in the early 2000s and took 1991 death of their father,
announced, but otherwise Epstein and Maxwell two cused Epstein of abusing up an offer to massage him the British newspaper mag-
did not react. She wore decades ago, only to be them, with many describ- in exchange for $100 bills nate Robert Maxwell.
leg shackles that could be shut down by the powerful ing Maxwell as the mad- in what prosecutors de- Robert Maxwell, they wrote,
heard rattling when she couple through threats and am who recruited them. scribed as "a pyramid of subjected his daughter
walked into the courtroom. influence with authorities. The trial, though, revolved abuse." to "frequent rapid mood
Addressing the court ear- Inside a courtroom crowd- around allegations from Maxwell made all the ar- swings, huge rages and re-
lier, Maxwell stood at a ed with reporters, three of only a handful of those rangements, Carolyn told jections," which "led her to
lectern and said she em- Maxwell's siblings sat in a women. the jury, even though she becoming very vulnerable
pathized with the survivors row behind her. Outside Four testified that they knew the girl was only 14 at to abusive and powerful
and hoped her punishment the courthouse, Kevin Max- were abused as teens in the time. men who would be able to
would bring them peace. well said that his sister won't the 1990s and early 2000s The allegations against Ep- take advantage of her in-
But she did not admit cul- give up on her legal battle, at Epstein's mansions in Flor- stein first surfaced publicly nate good nature."
pability and laid blame for "and we as a family will be ida, New York, New Mexico in 2005. He pleaded guilty Sarah Ransome — an ac-
the abuse on Epstein, say- solidly behind her." and the Virgin Islands. to sex charges in Florida cuser whose allegations
ing meeting him was the Defense attorney Bobbi Three were identified in and served 13 months in weren't included in the trial
"greatest regret of my life." Sternheim promised to ap- court only by their first prison, much of it in a work- — testified about the last-
She called him "a manipu- peal, saying Maxwell "has names or pseudonyms to release program as part of ing harm to her life, gazing
lative, cunning and con- been tried and convicted protect their privacy: Jane, a deal criticized as lenient. directly at Maxwell several
trolling man who lived a in the court of public opin- a television actress; Kate, Afterward, he was required times.
profoundly compartmen- ion." She said Epstein had an ex-model from the U.K.; to register as a sex offend- "You broke me in unfath-
talized life." left Maxwell "holding the and Carolyn, now a mom er. omable ways," said Ran-
Annie Farmer, one of the whole bag." recovering from drug ad- In the years that followed, some, who twice tried to
four accusers who testified Earlier in court, Assistant diction. The fourth was many women sued Epstein die by suicide. "But you did
against Maxwell at trial, U.S. Attorney Alison Moe re- Farmer, the sole accuser to over alleged abuse. One, not break my spirit."q