Ghislaine Maxwell, the jet-setting British socialite who once consorted with royals, presidents and billionaires, was sentenced to 20 years in prison Tuesday for helping the financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse underage girls.
The stiff sentence was the punctuation mark on a trial that explored the sordid rituals of a predator power couple who courted the rich and famous as they lured vulnerable girls as young as 14, and then exploited 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 one-time girlfriend who they said sometimes also participated in the abuse.
In December, a New York federal court jury convicted Maxwell of sex trafficking, transporting a minor to participate in illegal sex acts and two conspiracy charges.
U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan, who also imposed a $750,000 US fine, said "a very significant sentence is necessary" and that she wanted to send an "unmistakable message" that these kinds of crimes would be punished.
Prosecutors had asked the judge to give her 30 to 55 years in prison, while the 60-year-old Maxwell's defence sought a lenient sentence of just five years.
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