Ghislaine Maxwell Sentenced to 20 Years

Six months after being convicted of “sex trafficking of a minor, transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and three related counts of conspiracy,” 60-year-old Ghislaine Maxwell has been sentenced to 20 years in prison today, reports CNN. Two of these conspiracy charges were dropped from her sentencing, leaving her with fewer years than the prosecution’s request of 30-55. NBC News adds that Maxwell will also require “five years of supervised release once she gets out of prison and…a $750,000 fine.”

Though Maxwell’s attorneys are taking the stance that her mistreatment behind bars has been inordinate, according to CNN, the Metropolitan Detention Center has provided her with substantial privileges such as access to electronics and private facilities. Her attorneys attempted to throw out her conviction on alleged juror misconduct, which was overruled, and her eldest siblings Anne Holve and Philip Maxwell attempted to pin all of Ghislaine’s allegations on her own alleged abuse by Epstein, which prosecutors rejected.

Tuesday’s sentence brings some closure to the years-long battle to prosecute Maxwell and her partner, Jeffrey Epstein, the wealthy enablers of a massive child sex trafficking scheme, states Time. The supposed “mastermind” Epstein was found dead in his cell in 2019 before going to trial, but Maxwell’s exploitative actions as an accomplice who manipulated many girls as young as 14 into abusive situations left her on the hook, according to Time. The trail doesn’t end with Maxwell—powerful world leaders including Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, and Prince Andrew have all been tied to friendships with her and Epstein, states Time.