Ghislaine Maxwell - sentenced to 20 years for sex trafficking
Maxwell was convicted of five charges of helping late financier Jeffrey Epstein - her then boyfriend - abuse four teenage girls.
For years she lived a life of glitz and glamour - a well-connected socialite, known by the rich and famous all over the world. But Ghislaine Maxwell has now been sentenced to 20 years in prison. Last year, Maxwell was found guilty of recruiting and trafficking young girls to be sexually abused by the late American financier Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein killed himself in prison in 2019 whilst awaiting his own sex trafficking trial. One of Maxwell's accusers said outside the court that Maxwell should remain in prison for the rest of her life. Her lawyers had called for her to receive no more than five years.
Maxwell has been in custody since her arrest in July 2020, held mostly at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Centre. The case against her has been one of the highest-profile since the emergence of the #MeToo movement, which encouraged women to speak out about sexual abuse. Maxwell, dressed in prison clothes, apologised to the victims. She said she empathised with them and meeting Epstein was "the biggest regret" of her life. "My association with Epstein will permanently stain me," she said, adding that she hoped her sentencing would allow the victims "peace and finality".
The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's New York Correspondent, Nada Tawfik, and her producer, Pratiksha Ghildial, have followed and reported on this story for years. For 5 Minutes On - outside the court in New York where Maxwell has been sentenced - the pair share their thoughts on the key moments that led to this day.
Image credit: Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
