Ghislaine Maxwell gets 20 years in prison for helping Epstein groom, abuse underage girls

The sentence is in: Former socialite Ghislaine Maxwell will spend the next 20 years in prison (minus any time deducted for good behavior) for her part in recruiting, grooming, and sexually exploiting underage girls with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Although the 60-year-old will spend much of the rest of her life behind bars, prosectors had hoped the sentence would be longer.

From The New York Times:

The sentence, while severe, was shorter than the government had recommended. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan had asked the judge to impose a sentence of at least 30 years. If the conviction is upheld, Ms. Maxwell, with time potentially deducted for good behavior and credit for the two years she has spent in jail, could leave prison in her late 70s. …

As the sentence was read, Maxwell stood between her two lawyers and made no discernible facial expression. She left the courtroom afterward without speaking to her family members, who were seated in the bench directly behind her.

The prosecutor in the Maxwell case said in a statement that justice was done in the case. "Today's sentence holds Ghislaine Maxwell accountable for perpetrating heinous crimes against children," said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams.

Image: Ghislaine Maxwell – I. Maxwell, CC BY-SA 4.0