Ghislaine Maxwell, the former romantic partner to the late Jeffrey Epstein, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Tuesday after being convicted on multiple counts of sex trafficking.
In December, Maxwell was found guilty of five counts of sex trafficking, including "transporting a minor for the purposes of criminal sexual activity," and "conspiring to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts," according to the Washington Examiner.
Despite attempts from Maxwell's attorneys to lower her sentence to no more than five years, contending that Epstein was the "mastermind" of the operation, U.S. Circuit Judge Alison Nathan delivered a 20-year sentence.
Before the sentencing, the court heard statements from the multiple victims, including Virginia Giuffre who told the British socialite, "You deserve to spend the rest of your life in a jail cell," and "You deserve to be trapped in a cage."
Maxwell also delivered remarks, apologizing to the victims and attempting to shift blame away from her and unto Epstein.
"I believe that Jeffrey Epstein was a manipulative, cunning and controlling man who lived a profoundly compartmentalized life and filled all of those in his orbit," Maxwell said. "It is the greatest regret of my life that I met Jeffrey Epstein."
"I am sorry for the pain that you've experienced," she said to the victims.
The Associated Press reports that a $750,000 fine was also imposed by Nathan, emphasizing she wanted to send an "unmistakable message" that this type of criminal behavior would be punished.
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