January 1, Ghislaine Maxwell Sentenced to 20 Years

British former socialite Ghislaine Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison for helping the late financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse underage girls.

Maxwell’s lawyers had asked U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan to issue a lenient five-year sentence while the prosecution requested 30 to 55 years.

Nathan said, “a very significant sentence is necessary” to send an “unmistakable message” that these types of crimes would be punished. The judge also imposed a $750,000 fine.

Maxwell said it was the “greatest regret of my life that I ever met Jeffrey Epstein,” calling him “a manipulative, cunning and controlling man who lived a profoundly compartmentalized life.”

But the prosecution said Maxwell shifting blame to Epstein was “absurd and offensive.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison Moe said Maxwell and Epstein “were partners in crime together, and they molested kids together.”

Maxwell denies having abused anyone. She said she hopes her conviction and “unusual incarceration” bring some “measure of peace and finality.”