Virginia Giuffre says Ghislaine Maxwell caused her “almost indescribable” pain

Giuffre is among seven women who have submitted impact statements ahead of Maxwell’s sentencing on Tuesday.

Virginia Giuffre has spoken about the “almost indescribable” pain Ghislaine Maxwell caused her in a victim impact statement submitted on Friday.

Maxwell – who was convicted in December last year of recruiting and trafficking girls to be abused by Jeffrey Epstein – is due to be sentenced on Tuesday. Prosecutors on the case have asked the judge to sentence Epstein’s long-time associate to 30 to 55 years in prison, but Maxwell’s legal team have asked for a sentence “well below” the recommended term of 20 years.

In her statement, Giuffre – who was one of seven women to submit a letter to the judge – described Maxwell as “a wolf in sheep’s clothing” who “opened the door to hell” by introducing her to Epstein. 

“Ghislaine, twenty-two years ago, in the summer of 2000, you spotted me at the Mar-a-Lago Hotel in Florida, and you made a choice,” she wrote. 

“You chose to follow me and procure me for Jeffrey Epstein. Just hours later, you and he abused me together for the first time. Together, you damaged me physically, mentally, sexually, and emotionally. Together, you did unthinkable things that still have a corrosive impact on me to this day.”

Giuffre also described the continued impact her experiences have on her to this day, saying that Maxwell took advantage of her youth and naivety.  

“Ghislaine, the pain you have caused me is almost indescribable,” she explained. “Because of your choices and the world you brought me into, I don’t sleep. Nightmares wake me at all hours. In those dreams, I relive the awful things you and others did to me and the things you forced me to do. Those memories will never go away.

“I have trouble meeting new people without questioning if some how they are going to hurt me, too. I don’t allow my children to stay over at friends’ houses, or to walk down the street alone. I don’t trust anyone to be near them without me or my husband close by. I am hyper-vigilant, because I know that evil exists. You taught me that.”

While Giuffre did not play a role in Maxwell’s trial, she became one of the most well-known of Epstein’s accusers after bringing a civil sexual assault case against Prince Andrew in 2021. In the suit, Giuffre alleged that she was forced by Epstein on several occasions to have sex with the Duke Of York, who has always strenuously denied the allegations.  

The pair settled the case earlier this year; under US civil law, agreeing to settle a case does not amount to an admission of guilt.

Although Giuffre was not the only woman to submit a statement ahead of Maxwell’s sentencing, four of the other statements are being challenged by Maxwell’s legal team, who argue that four of the accusers’ ages meant that they were not “statutory crime victims” who have the right to speak at the sentencing.

Back in December, Maxwell was found guilty on five of the six counts she faced as part of the trial against her, including the most serious charge, that of sex trafficking a minor.

The verdict followed a month-long trial that featured testimony from four women who described being abused by Epstein between 1994 and 2004. A guilty verdict was reached by the jury after five full days of deliberation. 

Images: Virginia Roberts Giuffre/Getty

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