‘Infatuated’ Ghislaine Maxwell believes she could be free in two years despite sex crimes

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Ghislaine Maxwell could be sentenced to 30 years and five months in prison, according to guidelines. However, the 60-year-old wants that to be shortened to “51 to 63 months”.

Child molester Ghislaine Maxwell has been branded “delusional” for arguing she should serve less than three years for her crimes.

Maxwell will be sentenced next week for tricking young girls into being molested by her pedophile boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein.

Guidelines suggest she will face 30 years and five months in prison, or the 20 years recommended by the US Parole Service.

But Maxwell, 60, wants that reduced to “51 to 63 months,” with 22 months off for the pre-trial detention she’s serving.

Lawyers plead for leniency, saying Maxwell’s “life is ruined”.

They suspect she fell under Epstein’s spell because of her relationship with her “narcissistic, demanding and highly controlling” father Robert Maxwell, who has robbed millions of Mirror retirees.

A lawyer told the Mirror: “It’s clear as far as Ghislaine is concerned, the apple hasn’t fallen from the narcissistic tree.

“To argue that she should serve such a short sentence is delusional and something you would expect her father to think. Her father thought he was above the law and apparently Ghislaine inherited the same trait.” She was found guilty in December of five counts of sex trafficking and other crimes for recruiting teenage girls for financier Epstein.

At the age of 66, he killed himself in a federal prison in New York in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

In two documents filed by her lawyers, Maxwell is asking the court to consider the “unusually harsh” conditions in which she was held while awaiting trial. In April 2021, she had a black eye in Maxwell’s first photo after her arrest.

Lawyers say Maxwell’s life is now in danger, claiming, “There are numerous inmates who would not hesitate to kill Ms. Maxwell – whether for money, fame or simply ‘street credit’.”

An inmate recently threatened to kill Maxwell, saying another 20 years in prison “would be worth the money she would receive for killing Ms Maxwell”.

The inmate, who planned to strangle Maxwell in his sleep, was transferred “presumably for Ms Maxwell’s protection”.

The attorneys also argue that Maxwell’s upbringing since she was an “anorexic toddler,” her “family tragedy and controversy,” her relationship with Epstein, and her age were grounds for leniency. They also insist that Maxwell is no longer “a danger to the community.”

In conclusion, her attorney, Bobbi Sternheim, argues, “Ghislaine Maxwell is not an heiress, a villain, or a superficial celebrity.

“She has worked hard all her life. She has energy, drive, dedication, a strong work ethic and a desire to do good in the world. She has supported friends and family through difficult times and personal crises, and is currently supporting women in her unit at MDC (Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center).

“She had a difficult, traumatic childhood with an overbearing, narcissistic, and demanding father. It made her vulnerable to Epstein, whom she met right after her father’s death.

“It’s the biggest mistake she’s made in her life and one she hasn’t repeated and will never repeat.” In the 15+ years since her relationship with Epstein, she has never been accused of anything inappropriate.

“She was in two committed, long-term, loving relationships with men who had young children. She poses no threat to the community and there are no concerns about relapse.”

If Maxwell is sentenced to more than three years, which US attorneys say is “guaranteed”, she is likely to apply to be transferred to a UK prison. Under US law, after 36 months in the States, an alien can apply to have their time in a prison in their home country completed.

One of the girls Maxwell recruited, Virginia Giuffre, accused Epstein’s friend Prince Andrew of sexually assaulting her. She launched civil proceedings against the prince and in February he agreed to pay £12million in an out-of-court settlement.