Law&Crime Sidebar - Ghislaine Maxwell Speaks As She’s Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison

Episode Date: June 29, 2022

A federal judge sentenced British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell Tuesday to 20 years in federal prison for charges related to her conviction for procuring and transporting teen girls and young women for sex with financier and convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. Angenette Levy talks with Law&Crime’s Michel Bryant, who was in court, about the sentencing hearing and what Maxwell said to survivors of Epstein and Judge Alison Nathan.LAW&CRIME SIDEBAR PRODUCTION:YouTube Management - Bobby SzokePodcasting - Sam GoldbergVideo Editing - Sean BauerGuest Booking - Alyssa FisherSocial Media Management - Kiera BronsonSUBSCRIBE TO OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Court JunkieThey Walk Among AmericaCoptales and CocktailsSpeaking FreelyLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrime/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawandcrimeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can binge all episodes of this Law and Crimes series ad-free right now. Join Wondry Plus in the Wondery app Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Agent Nate Russo returns in Oracle 3, Murder at the Grandview, the latest installment of the gripping Audible Original series. When a reunion at an abandoned island hotel turns deadly, Russo must untangle accident from murder. But beware, something sinister lurks in the grand. views shadows. Joshua Jackson delivers a bone-chilling performance in this supernatural thriller that

will keep you on the edge of your seat. Don't let your fears take hold of you as you dive into this addictive series. Love thrillers with a paranormal twist? The entire Oracle trilogy is available on Audible. Listen now on Audible. Today showed us that individuals can be held accountable, irrespective of power and privilege. After years of looking for some semblance of just survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's go to court and watch as his ex-girlfriend, British socialite Galane Maxwell is sentenced for helping him procure young women and girls for sex. I'm Anjanette Levy, and welcome to Law and Crime's Sidebar. Galane Maxwell was sentenced by a federal judge on Tuesday to 20 years in prison.

for her role in the Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal. Galane Maxwell kind of said that she was a victim in all of this, though, when she addressed the court. The courtroom was full as Galane Maxwell was sentenced, and Michael Bryant of the Law and and Crime Network was there for it. Michael, tell us what happened in court. A lot of us were wondering whether Galane Maxwell would actually say anything. She didn't testify during the trial, and she has said that she was innocent in all of this.

So tell us a little bit about what happened when Galane Maxwell actually spoke. Yeah, you know, leading up to this hearing, we hadn't heard what, more than two words from her. You know, I understand this. I'm not guilty. So we didn't know what was going to happen. You know, the defendant doesn't have to say anything.

In all likelihood, it's not going to matter to the judge, whether the defendant says something, unless they're so remorseful that it kind of sways the judge. That didn't happen in this case. So we're sitting there. We're watching. And I see Galane during the two hours prior, just taking notes, talking to her attorney, He's nothing crazy. And when the judge asked if she wanted to say anything, I think most people thought she would just decline.

To your point, that's kind of what she's been. Just like, you know, I'm not going to give into this system. I'm being railroaded. So when she stood up, asked about taking her mask off, went to the podium. And the podium, I'm sure you've been in that courtroom, you know, it's like a phone booth. They have the plexiglass all around it. It still seemed bizarre. But there she is.

She's standing behind it. And she presents this very eloquent speech discussing how she feels the pain that the survivors felt, that she acknowledges that Jeffrey Epstein was just this manipulator. And she really gives you the takeaway that, boy, poor Elaine, you know, she fell victim to this guy as well. And nothing she said would have led you to believe she was remorseful or was taking any responsibility. It was like, I'm just one of you, ladies, you know, I'm sorry it happened to you. I'm sure the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein, though, do not feel that Galane Maxwell is anywhere close to being one of them. Judge Nathan, from what I understand, she's been no nonsense with this case since the very beginning, took some issue with some of the things that she had to say.

She really did. She focused on, she was very methodical. The guidelines tell you one thing. The prosecution wants another. The defense wants another. The probation department. They've all weighed in, right? But toward the end of her preamble, you know, to the pronouncement, she made a point of saying that, you know, when Ms. Maxwell spoke, there was nothing that I heard to suggest she's taking any responsibility. Yes, she acknowledged that the things that happened were horrible and that these folks need to, you know, come into the light, I think is how they described it. They've been in this darkness. They need to come into the light. It's very poetic what Elaine said to them. You know, like she was counseling them on how to get over

this. And the judge noted that and said, you know, I'm sorry, I just don't see any remorse. And we know if anything helps the judge take it a little easier on a defendant. It is honest remorse that doesn't feel, you know, fake. And that wasn't there. So she was almost in some ways polite. Sounds like very British about it, very polite, but at the same time, defiant. Yeah, you know, just almost matter of fact, you know, like the socialite that you would expect her to be. And again, having seen her for the first time, really in a less formal setting, I mean, this was not like a party, but you can still see, this is a very charming person, you know, and I could see how she would be persuasive as every victim has suggested she was. And that's how

she came off. It was bizarre, because in the court setting where she's looking at decades in prison, she came off like she's at a social luncheon somewhere. It was really bizarre. Well, years above the guideline sentence, as you said, a lot less than the 55 years that the government wanted. But 55 is a really long time. That would have been, that would have exceeded the guidelines by an incredible number of years. Without the enhancements, the court would need to justify it. I could see that could be appealed. Sure. Probably whittled away. So what's the, so you had the probation department asking for 20, interesting. You had the prosecution asking for 30 to 55, you know, pick a number. And then you had the defense saying four and a quarter to five and a quarter because

she's such a good sort, you know, she needs to break. because she's been treated horribly in those two years she's been in local jail. And I have no doubt she probably has been, but boo-hoo. That's the way it is. It's not camp. And so I think it came down at 20, which was really above, you know, they go through the guideline checklist and they come up with points, so many points for this, so many points for this enhancement, so many points for this deduction. And it came out to 17 to 19. That was the guideline map. So the judge did go above that, even if not a ton, I think primarily because she just didn't see from Yelaine when she spoke what she wanted to see. Well, Michael Bryant, thanks so much for coming on and telling us what went on

in that courtroom. Camera's not allowed in federal court, of course. So we have to rely on great legal minds such as yourself to do that for us. So thank you. All right. And of course, after court, the attorneys for the survivors, one of them was Brad Edwards. He had plenty to say after the sentencing. This is a major victory, not just for Annie Farmer and Kate and some of the others who spoke today, but also for the dozens of other victims. I'm not only involved in this sex trafficking operation, but that are being trafficked worldwide. I think that it sends a really powerful message to conform with the law and to be deterred from engaging in any form of conduct like

this, whether you are the facilitator, groomer, perpetrator, whoever you are, nobody is above the law. And I think that's the message that everybody understands very loud and clear today. I think our system works. And Galane Maxwell's attorney spoke following the sentencing. Our client, Delenn Maxwell, has been vilified, pilloried, and it left little room for her to be treated fairly because even before she stepped forward into this courthouse, she was being tried and convicted in the court of public opinion. Glenn will appeal this case and we are confident that she will prevail on appeal. Galane Maxwell sentenced to 20 years in federal prison, She'll have to serve about 85% of that before she is released.

Eventually, this sentence will put her at about 79 years old when she can get out of prison. She is appealing her conviction, though. So the next time we meet for Sidebar, we're going to hear from one of the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein. You won't want to miss that. I'm Anjanette Levy, and this podcast is produced by Sam Goldberg and Michael Dininger. Bobby Zoki is our YouTube manager, Kiera Bronson, Hansel's our social media, and Alyssa Fisher is our booking producer. I'm In Jeanette Levy,

and this has been Law and Crime Sidebar podcast. We'll see you next time. You can binge all episodes of this Law and Crime series ad free right now on Wondery Plus. Join Wondery Plus

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