Ghislaine Maxwell had a few words to share with the victims she was accused of sexually trafficking to her now-deceased love interest Jeffrey Epstein after being sentenced to 20 years in prison on Tuesday. The former socialite, who will be 80 by the time of her release, appeared remorseful for her actions towards the countless women who bravely shared their ordeal of being recruited and exploited by Ghislaine and her partner-in-crime.
“I am sorry for the pain that you experienced,” she said, per Radar Online, as the decades-long fight for justice finally came to an end. “I hope my conviction and harsh incarceration brings you pleasure.” She further stressed that it had been “hard” for her to find the right words to address the court after having previously sat through the horrendous testimonies of victims who recalled their experiences with the convicted sex offender.
“The terrible impact on the lives of so many women is difficult to hear and even more difficult to absorb in its scale and extent,” Ghislaine added. I want to acknowledge their suffering. I empathize deeply with all of the victims in this case. I realize I have been convicted of assisting Jeffrey Epstein to commit these crimes. My associate with Epstein will permanently stain me. It is the biggest regret of my life that I ever met him.”
Sarah Ransome, for example, had explained to the court in her testimony that she contemplated suicide on two occasions from the trauma she suffered, which ultimately left her feeling hopeless. She recalled being degraded with vile sexual demands from Ghislaine and Jeffrey while on his island, saying things had gotten so bad at one point that she even considered “jumping off a cliff into shark-infested waters” just to escape the pair.
“I was caught by Maxwell and company moments before jumping. At the time, that extremely risky escape seemed more appealing than being raped one more time,” she expressed.
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U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan shared today’s sentencing to Ghislaine, whose victims were said to have been as young as 14 years old. The well-connected former traveler was arrested in 2020, just one year after Jeffrey was found dead in his jail cell, before being found guilty on five of six counts, which included transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, sex trafficking a minor, and three related counts of conspiracy.
She was acquitted one charge of enticing a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex.