When the judge of the federal court of Manhattan pronounces this Tuesday June 28 the sentence of 20 years of imprisonment for the sexual crimes "heinous of a predator", Ghislaine Maxwell, shoulder-length hair, masked and dressed in black pants and in a gray shirt, remains almost impassive.
Just before being fixed on her fate, the sexagenarian, incarcerated in New York for already two years, for the first time expressed her "sympathy for all the victims" and said she was "sorry for the suffering felt".
The former figure of the jet-set
has always blamed the sex crimes on his former companion Jeffrey Epstein, who will end up committing suicide in prison in August 2019. Throughout his trial, Maxwell has been portrayed as a “sophisticated predator” who acted as an “adult” to attract young girls and deliver them to Epstein at his residences in Florida, Manhattan, New Mexico and the Virgin Islands.
The four victims and accusers, Jane, Kate, Carolyn and Annie Farmer, revealed their lives damaged by forced sex with Epstein when they were minors, and often in the presence of Maxwell.
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On the side of the victims, the 20-year prison sentence was greeted with relief.
Among them, Annie Farmer, this forties who told during the trial, how she had fallen into the clutches of the Maxwell-Epstein couple when she was only a teenager.
"This sentence demonstrates that it is never too late for the truth to emerge or for accountability," she said on Tuesday, leaving the court.
“I think the judge took into account the seriousness of what Maxwell and Epstein did to us.
And I think 20 years is reasonable considering all of that.
So we are happy to finally be able to turn the page,” added Elizabeth Stein, another victim.
For her part, Bobbi Sternheim, Ghislaine Maxwell's lawyer, said her client was going to appeal her conviction.