- patrick jackson
- BBC News
2 hours ago
Jeffrey Epstein and Gillen Maxwell in 2005
Glenn Maxwell has been sentenced to 20 years in prison in the United States for helping the late American financier Jeffrey Epstein abuse underage girls.
Maxwell, 60, was convicted last December of recruiting and trafficking four teenage girls for Epstein, her then-boyfriend.
One of the plaintiffs said out of court in New York that Maxwell must remain in prison for the rest of her life.
Epstein committed suicide in a Manhattan cell in 2019 while awaiting his sex trafficking trial.
Maxwell’s crimes took place over a decade, between 1994 and 2004.
In sentencing, Judge Alison Jay Nathan said Maxwell’s behavior was “outrageous and outrageous”.
“Ms. Maxwell worked with Epstein to select vulnerable young victims, and they played a pivotal role in facilitating sexual abuse.”
She explained that the case called for a “very important ruling” and that she wanted to send an “unmistakable message” that such crimes would be punished.
In addition to the prison sentence, the judge imposed a fine of $750,000 on Maxwell.
Maxwell, who had been defended by her lawyers for less than five years, looked straight ahead and showed no emotion, with the verdict announced in a crowded public hall.
photo released, Archyde.com
A sketch of the courtroom shows the arrival of Glenn Maxwell bound in shackles
Earlier, she addressed her victims. She said she sympathized with them, adding that she hoped her prison sentence would allow the victims “peace.”
Maxwell has been held most of the time in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, since her arrest in July 2020.
The case against the British high-profile has been one of the most prominent since the emergence of the #MeToo movement, which encouraged women to speak out about sexual assault.
The judge allowed four women to speak at Tuesday’s hearing and also allowed Virginia’s attorney Joffrey to read her statement in her absence.
Annie Farmer, the only victim in the indictment to give evidence in her full name during the trial, was the first to speak.
She had to pause in the middle of her speech in order to contain her feelings, but she continued to read her statement to the court in full.
Sarah Ransom, who did not testify at the trial but was due to make a statement, spoke out of court alongside defendant Elizabeth Stein.
“Gillin should have died in prison because I was in hell,” Ransom said.
During the trial, Farmer and three other women, identified in court only by their first names or pseudonyms to protect their privacy, testified that they had been assaulted as minors in Epstein’s homes in Florida, New York, New Mexico and the Virgin Islands.
They recounted how Maxwell asked them to give Epstein massages that turned into sex, luring them with gifts and promises about how Epstein would use his money and relationships to help them.
Epstein’s crimes, who mingled with some of the world’s most famous personalities, were first reported in the media in 2005 and served a prison sentence in Florida in 2008-2009 for procuring a minor.
After several lawsuits, he was arrested again in 2019 in a federal case in New York.
At least eight women wrote letters to the judiciary describing their suffering.
photo released, Archyde.com
Annie Farmer (left) arrives at court with her lawyer
Victims talk about their pain
In her statement, Farmer said, “For a long time, I wanted to erase from my mind the crimes that Glenn Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein committed against me and pretend they didn’t happen.”
“Something might bring this experience back to my mind and my body would respond with an upset stomach and a trembling body. I would feel nervous, have trouble concentrating, and feel disoriented.”
“One of the most painful and lasting effects of Maxwell and Epstein’s assault was a loss of confidence in myself, my perceptions, and my instincts.”
Writing to Maxwell, Virginia Geoffrey wrote, “Gillen, 22 years ago, in the summer of 2000, spotted me at the Mar-a-Lago in Florida, and made a choice. You chose to follow me and introduce me to Jeffrey Epstein.”
“Together, you hurt me physically, mentally, sexually and emotionally…Without a doubt, Jeffrey Epstein was a pedophile. But I would never have met Jeffrey Epstein without you. For me and many others, you opened the door to hell.”
“The consequences of what Glenn Maxwell did were long-term for me,” a woman referred to in court as “Kate” wrote in her statement.
“I had a substance use disorder and eventually beat it. I’ve had panic attacks and night terrors, which I still have. I’ve had low self-esteem and lost career opportunities.”
“What happened to me at that young age radically changed the course of my life forever.”
Juliet Bryant writes, she has never felt well since the day Maxwell and Epstein “put their hands” on her.
“Thinking about them still causes me frequent panic attacks and night terrors,” she said. “All victims, including myself, are forever grateful to everyone who helped expose these criminals.”