In a court filing Wednesday, federal prosecutors requested a judge to sentence Ghislaine Maxwell to 30 to 55 years in prison for sex trafficking a juvenile and other crimes tied to a widespread scheme to exploit young girls with billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Maxwell's attorneys requested a court last week to sentence her to between 4.25 and 5.25 years in jail, arguing that her poor background rendered her vulnerable to Epstein's activities and that she should not receive a heavy term as a result of his conduct.
Maxwell's Team Claims She Should Not Spend More Than 5 Years in Prison
Jeffrey Epstein, who pled guilty to state prostitution charges in 2008, was charged with federal sex trafficking charges in July 2019 but committed suicide a month later in jail. Maxwell, his confidante, and former lover, was captured a year later and has been imprisoned ever since. The prosecution noted in the sentencing memo that the defense's argument was absurd and disrespectful.
The filing comes just one week before her scheduled June 28 sentence. Maxwell, 60, was convicted in December on five federal offenses, including sex trafficking of a juvenile, transporting a minor with the purpose to engage in illegal sexual behavior, and three related conspiracy counts.
However, because the judge presiding over her case recognized that two of the conspiracy counts she faced were redundant, she would only be punished on three counts. The probation department proposed a 20-year sentence, which was lower than the recommendations.
Prosecutors said Maxwell and Epstein plotted from 1994 to 2004 in New York, Florida, New Mexico, and the US Virgin Islands to set up a conspiracy to entice young females into sexual connections with Epstein.
During the trial, four women testified that Epstein molested them and that Maxwell encouraged and occasionally participated in the abuse. Meanwhile, her defense claimed she was a "scapegoat" for Epstein's conduct and challenged the recollections and intentions of the women who claimed to have been sexually assaulted, CNN reported.
Maxwell's attorneys argued last week that she should be sentenced to no more than five years in jail and should not be held responsible for Epstein's actions. Her defense team stated that it would be a travesty of justice for her to receive a term fit for Epstein. Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 while awaiting his sex trafficking trial.
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Prosecutors Slam Claims That Maxwell Received Death Threats
Ghislaine Maxwell's attorneys further claim that her life has been challenging and that she has already endured horrendous jail circumstances since her arrest on July 2, 2020. They also argued that her terrible background with an overbearing, egotistical, and demanding father merited a more compassionate sentence.
Prosecutors reacted to Maxwell's legal team's submission, stating that her poor confinement conditions and upbringing were not grounds for a reduced sentence. Maxwell's sentence will be presided over by Circuit Judge Alison Nathan, who ruled over her month-long trial, as per Metro.
Prosecutors also disputed Maxwell's attorneys' assertions that she received a genuine death threat in jail, claiming that an internal investigation into the alleged threat found that an inmate muttered to someone in passing, "I'd murder her if someone gave me a million dollars." As a result, someone who overheard the statement reported it, and the offender was relocated from the housing unit, they claimed.
They also emphasized Maxwell's total refusal to confront her offending conduct and her apparent lack of contrition. Instead of even attempting to take responsibility, the defendant makes a frantic attempt to shift blame elsewhere.
Prosecutors said Epstein gave Ghislaine Maxwell nearly all of the $22.5 million in assets she claimed in a bail proposal that was never granted. Quotes from letters given to the judge by women who testified during the trial were also included in the sentencing proposal, including Kate, an ex-model from the United Kingdom who stated that "the effects of what Ghislaine Maxwell did have been far-reaching for me," according to CBS News.
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