Maxwell is unlikely to ever spill Epstein's secrets, legal expert says

2022-06-29

‘She’s dug in her heels’: Former federal prosecutor says Ghislaine Maxwell is unlikely to ever spill Epstein’s secrets because she’s a ‘total narcissist’ who still believes she can win on appeal

Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani says Maxwell is unlikely to cooperate
Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Tuesday for helping Epstein
She has long been thought to know sordid details of Epstein’s child sex ring
But by all appearances she has refused to cooperate with investigators
Post-sentencing cooperation is rare but not unheard of in federal cases
But in doing so, Maxwell would have to admit guilt and likely tank her appeal
Rahmani said her ‘non-apology’ at sentencing signals she will never name names

A former federal prosecutor has said that Ghislaine Maxwell is unlikely to ever divulge what she knows about Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking scheme, after she was sentenced to 20 years in prison for helping the late financier abuse underage girls.

Maxwell, who was handed the stiff sentence on Tuesday in Manhattan federal court, has long been accused of knowing sordid details about Epstein and his potential co-conspirators, but has showed no signs of cooperating with federal investigators.

Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor who is now a litigator in Los Angeles, believes that Maxwell’s actions and decisions to date suggest that she will never cooperate against Epstein’s potential co-conspirators.

‘She’s dug in her heels — she pushed this case to trial, she made all these women testify, and revictimized them by making them repeat their stories in court,’ Rhamani told DailyMail.com in an interview shortly after the sentencing.

‘If you wanted the full benefit of cooperation, you wouldn’t do any of this,’ he added. ‘I haven’t seen anything that leads me to believe that anyone else is going to be prosecuted in this case.’

A former federal prosecutor has said that Ghislaine Maxwell is unlikely to ever divulge what she knows about Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking scheme

Ghislaine Maxwell delivers her first public statement while addressing Judge Alison Nathan during her sentencing in a courtroom sketch

Epstein, who died behind bars in 2019 in what was ruled a suicide, sexually abused children hundreds of times over more than a decade, exploiting vulnerable girls as young as 14, prosecutors say.

Prosecutors said he couldn’t have done so without the help of his longtime companion Maxwell, 60, who was convicted in December of sex trafficking, transporting a minor to participate in illegal sex acts and two conspiracy charges.

Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor, believes Maxwell is unlikely to ever divulge what she knows about Epstein’s crimes

Following her sentencing on Tuesday, Maxwell’s attorney Bobbi Sternheim vowed to appeal, saying that Epstein had left Maxwell ‘holding the whole bag.’

Rahmani, who is not connected to the case but spoke as a legal expert, observed that Maxwell’s plan to appeal makes it extremely unlikely that she will cooperate with investigators.

‘The problem with cooperation is you’re essentially waiving your right to appeal,’ he said.

‘You have to admit to participating in the trafficking and abuse of these young girls for the cooperation to mean anything,’ he added. ‘She’s much more likely to take her chances on appeal.’

Rahmani noted that it is possible for offenders to give evidence against co-conspirators after their sentencing, in exchange for a shot at a reduced sentence — but it is extremely rare.

‘It’s not too late, although people who cooperate usually plead guilty. Or once they are convicted and see the writing on the wall, then they cooperate,’ he said.

Rahmani said that Maxwell’s statement at sentencing — in which she blamed Epstein and cast herself as another victim — signaled that she is unlikely to provide evidence to investigators.

Ghislaine Maxwell defense attorney Bobbi Sternheim talks to the media outside the US District Court for the Southern District of New York after the sentencing

The sentencing marks the end of a decades-long fight for justice by victims of Maxwell and Epstein, seen together above in an evidence photo

Maxwell told the court at the sentencing that she empathized with the victims in the case, but refused to admit her guilt and laid blame for the abuse on Epstein, saying meeting him was the ‘greatest regret of my life.’

‘Her non-apology apology today leads me to believe she is not going to cooperate,’ Rahmani said. ‘Those aren’t statements from someone who is accepting responsibility, who is remorseful, and is going to help the government bring other people to justice.’

‘Anything is possible, but Maxwell seems like a total narcissist,’ he added. ‘She really does believe she’s a victim, and she’s suffered this grave injustice.’

Prior to their downfall, Epstein and Maxwell traveled in glittering social circles surrounded by the rich and powerful.

Their association with some of the world’s most famous people was not a prominent part of Maxwell’s trial, but mentions of friends such as Bill Clinton and Donald Trump showed how the pair exploited their connections to impress their victims.

One accuser, Virginia Roberts, claimed that Epstein and Maxwell had also pressured her into sexual trysts with other powerful men when she was 17, including Britain’s Prince Andrew.

All of those men denied the allegations, and Giuffre ultimately settled a lawsuit against Andrew out of court for a reported $12 million.

An infamous photo of Virginia Roberts, Prince Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell, taken at Maxwell’s home in London’s Belgravia

In 2010 Maxwell attended the wedding of Bill Clinton’s daughter Chelsea in Rhinebeck, upstate New York

Maxwell, Naomi Campbell, Donald Trump and Melania Knauss in November 2002 at a Dolce and Gabbana show in New York

According to Roberts, also known as Virginia Giuffre, Maxwell recruited her when she was 16 and working at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.

In her victim impact statement, she said that that Maxwell and Epstein did ‘unthinkable things’ to her.

The statement says: ‘Without question, Jeffrey Epstein was a terrible pedophile.

‘But I never would have met Jeffrey Epstein if not for you. For me, and for so many others, you opened the door to hell. And then, Ghislaine, like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, you used your femininity to betray us, and you led us all through it.

‘Ghislaine, you deserve to spend the rest of your life in a jail cell. You deserve to be trapped in a cage forever, just like you trapped your victims.’

Maxwell’s trial revolved around allegations from only a handful of Epstein’s accusers.

Four testified that they were abused as teens in the 1990s and early 2000s at Epstein’s mansions in Florida, New York, New Mexico and the Virgin Islands.

A jubilant Annie Farmer smiles outside the Manhattan courthouse shortly after the sentence was handed down. Farmer fought back tears as she asked the judge to take into account the ‘ongoing suffering of them many women she abused and exploited’

Sarah Ransome and Elizabeth Stein held hands as they walked out of court Tuesday. Ransome claimed in her victim impact statement, ‘I was nothing more than a sex toy with a heartbeat and soul used to entertain Epstein, Maxwell and others’. Elizabeth Stein revealed she had to have an abortion after getting raped ‘countless times’

Fellow victims listen tearfully as Sarah Ransome reads a victim impact statement ahead of Maxwell’s sentencing

Three were identified in court only by their first names or pseudonyms to protect their privacy: Jane, a television actress; Kate, an ex-model from the UK; and Carolyn, now a mom recovering from drug addiction.

The fourth was Annie Farmer, the sole accuser to identify herself in court by her real name, after speaking out publicly.

Before Tuesday’s sentencing Maxwell, appearing in a blue prison uniform with shackles around her ankles, addressed the court and said she was ‘fooled’ by Epstein.

‘I realize I have been convicted of assisting Jeffrey Epstein to commit these crimes,’ she said. ‘My association with Epstein will permanently stain me. It is the biggest regret of my life that I ever met him.’

She added that Epstein ‘fooled all of those in his orbit.’

Prosecutors had asked Judge Nathan to impose a sentence of at least 30 years because of Maxwell’s ‘utter lack of remorse,’ while Maxwell argued she should serve just four years as she is not a danger to the public.

The sentencing marks the end of a decades-long fight for justice by victims of Maxwell and Epstein.

GHISLAINE’S STATEMENT AT SENTENCING HEARING IN FULL

Your honor, it is hard for me to address the court after listening to the pain and anguish expressed today.

The terrible impact on the lives of so many women is difficult to hear and even more difficult to absorb, both in its scale and extent.

I acknowledge their suffering and empathize deeply with all of the victims in this case.

I also acknowledge with that I have been a victim of helping Jeffrey Epstein commit these crimes.

I realize I have been convicted of assisting Jeffrey Epstein to commit these crimes. My association with Epstein will permanently stain me.

It is the biggest regret of my life that I ever met him.

I believe Jeffrey Epstein fooled all of those in his orbit. His victims considered him a mentor, friend, lover.

It is absolutely unfathomable today to think that was how he was viewed contemporaneously.

His impact on all those close to him has been devastating. And today, those who even knew him briefly or never met him but were associated with someone who did, have lost relationships, jobs, and had their lives derailed.

Jeffrey Epstein should have stood before you. In 2005. In 2009. And again in 2019. All the many times he was accused, charged, prosecuted.

He should have spared victims the years of chasing justice.

But today is ultimately not about Epstein. It is for me to be sentenced and for the victims to address me alone in court.

To you I say: I am sorry for the pain you experienced.

I hope my conviction along with my harsh incarceration brings you closure.

I hope this brings the women who have suffered some measure of peace and faintly to help you put those experiences of so many years ago in a place that allows you to look forward and not back.

I also acknowledge the pain this case has wrought to those I love, the many I held and still hold close, the relationships I have lost and will never be able to regain.

It is my sincerest wish to all those in this courtroom and all those outside this courtroom that today brings a terrible chapter to an end.

And to those of you who spoke here today and those who did not, may this day help you travel through darkness into the light.

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