Ghislaine Maxwell sentenced to 20 years in prison in Jeffrey Epstein sex abuse case

Ghislaine Maxwell was sentenced Tuesday to 20 years in prison for helping Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse underage girls for at least a decade between the 1990s and 2000s. The British former socialite, whose late father rose to prominence in the U.K. as a media baron and member of Parliament, faced a district court hearing in Manhattan that lasted several hours from the late morning until mid-afternoon.

Following a widely publicized criminal trial, Maxwell was found guilty last December of conspiring with Epstein — her longstanding associate and romantic partner for a time — to groom, recruit and sexually abuse minors as part of the late financier's now-infamous trafficking ring. Maxwell was convicted of multiple charges related to sex trafficking and conspiracy.

Maxwell's sentence includes five additional years of supervised release and a $750,000 fine. Judge Alison Nathan, who presided over the case, ordered her to immediately pay $100 for each count on which she was convicted.