Ghislaine Maxwell, British socialite and former accomplice to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for her role in organizing and operating a sex trafficking ring. At 60 years old, the sentence means she will spend most of the rest of her life behind bars.
Last year, Maxwell was found guilty on five out of six charges brought against her by the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York, including conspiracy and sex trafficking of a child. During the trial, several women of the women who were victims of the sex trafficking operation spoke out about their experiences, detailing how Maxwell recruited them, behaved like a mentor and sister to them, and ultimately groomed them for Epstein. Their harrowing accounts played a significant role in convicting Maxwell, who had escaped prosecution for years.
