Ghislaine Maxwell engaged in a “vital trend of cheating habits,” enabled and took part within the abuse of more than one teenage women, and did not take duty for her crimes.
That used to be the evaluation of the federal prosecutors who introduced a felony case in opposition to the longtime affiliate of Jeffrey Epstein and despatched her to jail for twenty years.
Now, 3 years later — and amid the continued controversy surrounding the Trump management’s dealing with of the Epstein information — the Division of Justice has made up our minds to method Maxwell, 63, to purportedly be told extra about her wisdom of whether or not Epstein’s intercourse trafficking prolonged to other folks rather than himself.
Ghislaine Maxwell attends VIP Night time of Dialog for Ladies’s Mind Well being Initiative, Oct. 18, 2016, in New York.
Sylvain Gaboury/Patrick McMullan by means of Getty Pictures
Prosecutors’ sentencing memorandum after Maxwell’s 2021 conviction provides a frank evaluation of Maxwell’s “monstrous” crimes and casts doubt on her honesty forward of her assembly with Deputy Legal professional Basic Todd Blanche later this week.
“Briefly, the defendant has lied many times about her crimes, exhibited an utter failure to just accept duty, and demonstrated repeated disrespect for the regulation and the Court docket,” federal prosecutors with the U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace for the Southern District of New York wrote in June 2022.
Blanche is ready to satisfy with Maxwell within the coming days to probably be told additional info “about somebody who has dedicated crimes in opposition to sufferers.”
Forward of the assembly, Maxwell’s appellate recommend David Oscar Markus vowed that she would “testify honestly” and thanked President Donald Trump for his “dedication to uncovering the reality on this case.”
Maxwell continues to enchantment her conviction. Her legal professionals have requested the Preferrred Court docket to throw out her case, arguing a non-prosecution settlement that Epstein made with federal prosecutors in Florida in 2007 allegedly barred her next prosecution in New York greater than a decade later.
Deputy Legal professional Basic Todd Blanche speaks to the media within the Press Briefing Room on the White Area, June 27, 2025.
Ken Cedeno/Reuters
The Trump management requested the prime court docket previous this month to disclaim Maxwell’s petition.
Of their sentencing memo in 2022, protection legal professionals argued Maxwell “must no longer endure all of the punishment for which Epstein must had been held accountable.”
“Epstein used to be the mastermind, Epstein used to be the primary abuser, and Epstein orchestrated the crimes for his non-public gratification. Certainly, had Ghislaine Maxwell by no means had the profound misfortune of assembly Jeffrey Epstein over 30 years in the past, she would no longer be right here,” they argued.
Prosecutors mentioned Maxwell enabled Epstein and without delay participated within the abuse.
In line with prosecutors, the testimony elicited at Maxwell’s trial demonstrated she used to be a very important player in Epstein’s crimes, providing a veneer of respectability and accept as true with prior to the convicted intercourse wrongdoer abused dozens of sweet sixteen women.
She known and preyed on inclined younger ladies, groomed them to normalize their abuse and took part within the abuse — without delay enabling one of the vital vital intercourse trafficking operations in US historical past, prosecutors mentioned.
“Maxwell befriended her sufferers, gained their accept as true with, slowly broke down their limitations, and normalized sexual abuse,” prosecutors wrote within the the memo. “Maxwell’s sufferers relied on her: she used to be a reputedly decent girl who confirmed passion in them and promised to lend a hand them. She used to be key to all the operation of the scheme, and Epstein may no longer have dedicated those crimes with out her.”
This undated trial proof symbol acquired December 8, 2021, from the U.S. District Court docket for the Southern District of New York presentations British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell and U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein.
US District Court docket for the Southern District of New York/AFP by means of Getty Pictures
In line with the federal government’s sentencing memorandum, Maxwell “individually engaged in sexual abuse when she fondled the breasts” of 3 sufferers. She used to be additionally “the one that used to be maximum regularly within the room when Epstein abused” probably the most sufferers, who testified underneath the title Jane.
“Years of sexual abuse, more than one sufferers, devastating mental hurt: none of this may have came about with out Maxwell,” prosecutors wrote.
Maxwell many times lied to officers, prosecutors mentioned
Prosecutors many times emphasised at trial that Maxwell must no longer be relied on, arguing that she “engaged in a vital trend of cheating habits, which speaks volumes about her personality.”
They known a minimum of 4 cases by which Maxwell allegedly lied or made cheating representations to the government or in civil complaints.
Right through a 2016 deposition, she mentioned underneath oath that she by no means gave Annie Farmer, a sufferer who testified at trial, a therapeutic massage. Farmer’s testimony at trial “established that used to be a lie,” prosecutors mentioned.
She allegedly lied to court docket officers throughout an interview about her property. When the court docket denied her bail software, the pass judgement on famous that Maxwell “misrepresent[ed] key info to Pretrial Services and products and, via extension, the Court docket.”
Prosecutors mentioned that Maxwell lied in November 2021 when she instructed the court docket, “I’ve no longer dedicated any crime” in line with a query about whether or not she engaged in plea discussions with the federal government.
Maxwell additionally falsely claimed she had no property when she interviewed with the court docket’s probation workplace, regardless of having up to now claimed she had $22 million in property. She additionally declined to supply details about the instances of her marriage, prosecutors mentioned.
“Briefly, the defendant makes a decision when she needs to reveal info to the Court docket, and the ones info shift when it serves the defendant’s pursuits,” prosecutors wrote.
Maxwell profited from courting with Epstein, prosecutors mentioned
Prosecutors alleged that Maxwell lived a “outstanding lifetime of privilege” and gained roughly $23 million from Epstein throughout the time-frame in their alleged crimes.
Maxwell additionally gained a townhouse in New York from Epstein and benefited from his lavish way of life, prosecutors allege. Epstein additionally bequeathed her $10 million from his property, even though Maxwell has no longer gained the ones price range for the reason that property is in probate.
“As a part of a irritating settlement with Jeffrey Epstein, Maxwell known, groomed, and abused more than one sufferers, whilst she loved a lifetime of ordinary luxurious and privilege. In her wake, Maxwell left her sufferers completely scarred with emotional and mental accidents,” prosecutors wrote.
Maxwell deflected duty for her crimes, prosecutors mentioned
At her sentencing, one of the vital witnesses who testified at trial suggested Pass judgement on Alison Nathan to impose a critical sentence because of the hurt Maxwell had brought about and her obvious loss of regret.
A witness who testified underneath the title Kate described Maxwell as “a manipulative, merciless and cruel one that most effective makes use of kindness to govern and generosity to hunt reputation.”
“The loss of regret or duty taken via Ghislaine for the way she ruined the lives of numerous ladies and kids is strictly how we will be able to inform that she does not assume what she did is improper. She isn’t sorry, and he or she would do it once more,” Kate mentioned.
Annie Farmer requested the pass judgement on to believe the “ongoing struggling of the various ladies whom she abused and exploited” and the way Maxwell’s lack of ability to just accept the results of her crimes endured to hurt the sufferers.
“I ask you to remember how Maxwell’s unwillingness to recognize her crimes, her loss of regret and her repeated lies about her sufferers created the will for many people to have interaction in a protracted combat for justice that has felt like a black hollow sucking in our treasured time, power and well-being for a lot too lengthy now, issues that can not be changed,” Farmer mentioned.
When Maxwell in brief addressed the court docket, she mentioned that she “empathize[s] deeply with all the sufferers on this case” and that assembly Epstein years previous used to be her “biggest remorseful about.”
Her legal professionals have lengthy argued that Maxwell used to be unfairly centered for Epstein’s crimes after his demise, and her observation at sentencing echoed that argument.
“Jeffrey Epstein must had been right here prior to all of you. He must have stood prior to you all the ones years in the past,” she mentioned. “He must have stood prior to you in 2005, once more in 2009, and once more in 2019, all the repeatedly he used to be accused, charged, and prosecuted. However nowadays it isn’t about Epstein in the long run. It’s for me to be sentenced and for the sufferers to deal with me, and me by myself, on this court docket.”
ABC Information’ Peter Charalambous contributed to this document.
