Abuse survivors arrive ahead of Maxwell sentencing
STORY: Prosecutors are seeking a sentence of at least 30 years for Maxwell, 60, who was convicted in December of recruiting and grooming girls to have sexual encounters with Epstein, her then-boyfriend, between 1994 and 2004.
Survivors of Epstein's abuse arrived at the courthouse Tuesday morning ahead of victim impact statements.
Sarah Ransome spoke to reporters outside the court, saying, "People must remember this was an international sex-trafficking ring that spanned across the world. And the fact that she still maintains her innocence is beyond anything I've ever – I still can't believe it. And that's why I've had to fight so hard to keep her off the streets."
U.S. Circuit Judge Alison Nathan will sentence the British socialite at the conclusion of the hearing in Manhattan federal court.
Maxwell's monthlong trial was widely seen as the reckoning that Epstein – who killed himself in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 at age 66 while awaiting his own sex trafficking trial – never had.
It was one of the highest-profile cases in the wake of the #MeToo movement, which encouraged women to speak out about sexual abuse, often at the hands of wealthy and powerful people.
