Ghislaine Maxwell faces sentencing in Jeffrey Epstein sex abuse case
Global News
Prosecutors said Epstein sexually abused children hundreds of times over more than a decade, and couldn't have done so without the help of Maxwell, his longtime companion.
Ghislaine Maxwell, the jet-setting socialite who once consorted with royals, presidents and billionaires, is set to be sentenced Tuesday for helping the wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse underage girls.
The 11 a.m. sentencing in New York is the culmination of a prosecution that detailed how the power couple flaunted their riches and prominent connections to lure vulnerable girls as young as 14, and then exploit them.
Prosecutors said Epstein, who killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial, sexually abused children hundreds of times over more than a decade, and couldn’t have done so without the help of Maxwell, his longtime companion and onetime girlfriend.
“Maxwell’s conduct was shockingly predatory. She was a calculating, sophisticated, and dangerous criminal who preyed on vulnerable young girls and groomed them for sexual abuse,” prosecutors wrote in a court filing.
In December, a jury convicted Maxwell of sex trafficking, transporting a minor to participate in illegal sex acts and two conspiracy charges. Prosecutors say she deserves 30 to 55 years in prison.
Maxwell, 60, has denied abusing anyone. Her lawyers have asked U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan to impose a sentence of no more than five years.
“The witnesses at trial testified about Ms. Maxwell’s facilitation of Epstein’s abuse, but Epstein was always the central figure: Epstein was the mastermind, Epstein was the principal abuser, and Epstein orchestrated the crimes for his personal gratification,” they wrote in a court filing.
Epstein and Maxwell’s associations with some of the world’s most famous people were not a prominent part of the trial, but mentions of friends like Bill Clinton, Donald Trump and Britain’s Prince Andrew showed how the pair exploited their connections to impress their prey.
The Russian strike on Ukraine on Thursday came in response to Ukrainian strikes on the Russian territory with U.S. and British missiles earlier this week, Putin said.
Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister and Hamas officials, are accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity over the conflict in Gaza and the October 2023 attacks.
This year, the toy drive will support nearly 200 Ukrainian children in the Central Okanagan.
The choice of Trump's former acting attorney general Matt Whitaker is an unusual one, given his background in law enforcement and not in foreign policy or diplomacy.
Israel has continued to pound Hezbollah throughout the cease-fire attempts, and rockets have continued to rain down on northern Israel.
The precautionary step came after Russian officials promised a response to President Joe Biden’s decision to let Ukraine strike targets on Russian soil with U.S.-made missiles.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken recognized González in a post on X in which he also demanded “respect for the will” of Venezuelan voters.
Officials were worried the hamsters would target the plane's electrical wiring system.
Marius Borg Høiby is facing yet another charge after a slew of accusations in recent months.
Uranium enriched at 60 per cent purity is just a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent, according to the UN report.
The alleged developments marked a worrying new escalation in the conflict that has repeatedly ratcheted up international tensions.