Ghislaine Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years for her role in recruiting and grooming young women for sexual abuse at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein and his entourage of friends.
Before her sentencing, Maxwell heard remarks from the victims, one that "detailed her two suicide attempts when the trauma from the sexual abuse, procured by Ghislaine Maxwell, became so unbearable. Sarah Ransome was in court Tuesday for Ghislaine Maxwell's sentencing where she claimed in her victim impact statement, 'I was nothing more than a sex toy with a heartbeat and soul used to entertain Epstein, Maxwell, and others.'"
While Maxwell claimed she was guilty of helping Epstein, she acknowledged the guilt she felt for helping him. "To you, to you, all the victims who came in court and those outside I am sorry for the pain that you experienced,” Maxwell said. “I hope my conviction and harsh incarceration brings you pleasure.”
Maxwell acknowledged that her relationship with Epstein will forever and permanently stain her.
“I believe that Jeffrey Epstein was a manipulative, cunning, and controlling man who lived a profoundly compartmentalized life and fooled all of those in his orbit,” she said.
“It is my sincerest wish to all those in this courtroom and all those outside the courtroom that this day brings a terrible chapter to an end,” she said. “To those of who spoke here today and those who did not, may this day help you travel from darkness into the light.”
To date, the contents of Maxwell's "little black book" containing the list of contacts of the perpetrators of sexual abuse of these women remains a mystery. No one has been punished except for Epstein, who didn't kill himself behind bars, and Maxwell who is about to serve a 20-year prison sentence for her role in recruiting and grooming young women to service Epstein.
Will the Justice Department investigate this matter, due to the gravity of the situation, because it is hard to imagine that Epstein and Maxwell acted alone? Or will the perpetrators simply not be held accountable for their gross, inappropriate, and illegal activities? WECU want to know.