Gislen Maxwell sentenced to 20 years in prison for helping Jeffrey Epstein

Gislen Maxwell, an athlete once associated with members of the royal family, presidents and billionaires, was sentenced on Tuesday to 20 years in prison by financier Jeffrey Epstein for sexually abusing minors.

The harsh punishment was a scoring point in a trial that explored the heinous rituals of a predatory power couple who worshiped the rich and famous because they seduced vulnerable girls at age 14 and then took advantage of them.

Prosecutors said Epstein, who killed himself while awaiting trial in 2019, sexually assaulted children 100 times in more than a decade and could not have done so without the help of Maxwell, his longtime partner and ex-girlfriend, who they said. . that sometimes he also participated. . In insult. In December, a jury convicted Maxwell of sex trafficking, involvement in trafficking a minor for illegal sex acts and two counts of conspiracy.

US District Judge Alison J. Nathan, who also imposed a $750,000 fine, said “a very significant sentence is needed” and that she wanted to send a “real message” that these types of crimes would be punished. Prosecutors asked the judge to sentence him to 30 to 55 years in prison, while the defense of Maxwell, 60, demanded a light sentence of just 5 years.

Maxwell, who wore a blue prison uniform and a white mask to comply with coronavirus rules, looked to the side as he announced the sentence but didn’t react any other way.

“We will continue to live with the damage he did to us,” said Annie Farmer, one of the defendants who testified against Maxwell in court before the court’s verdict.

When given a chance to speak, Maxwell said he sympathized with the survivors and that “the biggest regret of my life was meeting Jeffrey Epstein.” Maxwell called him “a manipulative, insidious, controlling man who lived a deeply divided life”, echoing his supporters’ assertion that Epstein was a real attempt.

Maxwell, who denies any wrongdoing, said he hoped his conviction and “extraordinary detention” would bring “peace and a final measure.”

Nathan refused to let Maxwell get away with his guilt, making it clear that Maxwell was being punished for his actions and not Epstein. He called the crimes “horrible and predatory” and said that Maxwell, as a sophisticated adult woman, provided a safe haven while “normalizing” sexual violence through her involvement, encouragement and instruction.

Several survivors have described their sexual assault, including a farmer who said he and his sister tried to make their stories about Epstein and Maxwell public two decades ago, but the power couple shut them down with threats and influence from the authorities.

Inside the crowded courtroom, Maxwell’s three brothers sat behind him. Most of the participants were representatives of the media.

Assistant US Attorney Alison Moe tells us how Maxwell treated the girls in “terrible nightmares” by bringing them to Epstein.

“They were partners in crime and together they abused these children,” he said, calling Maxwell “a man indifferent to other people’s suffering.”

Epstein and Maxwell’s associations with some of the world’s most famous people weren’t a big part of the trial, but the mention of friends like Bill Clinton, Donald Trump and Britain’s Prince Andrew showed how the pair used their connections to impress. the predator. .

Over the past 17 years, several women have accused Epstein of abusing them, with many describing Maxwell as the woman who took them. However, the trial involved only a small fraction of these women.

The four showed that as teenagers in the 1990s and early 2000s, they were abused at the Epstein Palace in Florida, New York, New Mexico and the Virgin Islands.

The identities of the three were protected in court by name or pseudonym only to protect their privacy: Jane, a television actress; Katie, a former British model; And Caroline, now a mother who has recovered from drug addiction. The fourth was a farmer, the only defendant to be identified in court after his public appearance.

They described how Maxwell charmed them with conversations, gifts and promises that Epstein could use his wealth and connections to fulfill their dreams.

So, they testified, he brought Epstein a massage, who got sexy and played normally.

Caroline proved she was one of the few underprivileged teenagers who lived near Epstein’s Florida home in the early 2000s and was given a massage in exchange for $100 bills, which prosecutors dubbed the “Pyramid of Abuse.”

Maxwell did everything he could, Carolyn told the jury, although she knew the girl was only 14 at the time.

The charges against Epstein first surfaced in public in 2005. He pleaded guilty to sex charges in Florida and spent 13 months in prison, much of it on a parole program as part of a settlement that was criticized as soft. He was then required to register as a sex offender.

In the years that followed, many women sued Epstein for alleged violence. One, Virginia Joffre, argued that Epstein and Maxwell were also pressuring her to try to have sex with other powerful men, including Prince Andrew. All of these men denied the allegations and Joffrey ended up settling the case against Andrew without trial.

Federal prosecutors in New York reopened the case against Epstein after the 2018 Miami Herald stories brought new attention to his crimes. He was arrested in 2019 but committed suicide a month later.

Eleven months after his death, Maxwell was arrested on the New Hampshire estate. A citizen of the United States, Britain and France, he has since remained in a federal prison in New York because his lawyers have repeatedly criticized his treatment, saying he was wrongfully sentenced to suicide a few days before his sentence. Prosecutors say the arrest’s charges are exaggerated and that Maxwell was treated better than other inmates.

His lawyers also fought for the misconduct of a convicted felon. A few days after the verdict was handed down, one of the jurors gave an interview to the media, where he revealed that he had been sexually assaulted as a child, something the court did not say when selecting the jurors. Maxwell’s lawyers said he deserved a retrial. The judge disagreed.

At least eight women sent letters to the judge describing the sexual assault they said they suffered when meeting Maxwell and Epstein. Six of Maxwell’s seven living brothers wrote in writing. Maxwell’s inmate also sent a letter describing how Maxwell had helped educate other inmates over the past two years.

Anne Hollow and Philip Maxwell, her older brothers, wrote that her relationship with Epstein began shortly after the death of their father, British newspaper magnate Robert Maxwell, in 1991.

They said Robert Maxwell had subjected his daughter to “frequent and rapid mood swings, great anger and rejection”.

“This made him a very vulnerable abuser and a strong man who could harness his innate good nature,” they wrote.

Before the fate was announced, Maxwell looked down and recorded the recording, while Sarah Rensoma, the defendant whose charges were not included in this trial, spoke about the long-term damage to her life, looking directly at Maxwell several times.

Ransom, who twice attempted suicide, finally looked at Maxwell as he said, “You’ve shattered me in incredible ways, but you haven’t broken my soul.”