Ghislaine Maxwell is unlikely to incriminate others in exchange for a lighter sentence, according to a new interview with her brother, The Sunday Times of London reports.
Earlier this week, a federal jury convicted Maxwell of sex trafficking underage girls, for which she faces up to 65 years in jail.
Prosecutors alleged that Maxwell, now 60, helped longtime friend Jeffrey Epstein procure and sexually abuse girls for decades.
Maxwell’s brother, Ian Maxwell, told the newspaper that he anticipates his sister will not take a plea deal.
“Prosecution confirmed no plea bargain offers were made or received” prior to the trial, Ian Maxwell told the Times. “I expect that position to be maintained.”
If that prediction stands, it would presumably benefit Ghislaine Maxwell’s alleged co-conspirators as well as individuals who have been publicly connected to the scandal, including Prince Andrew, former U.S. presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, the Times reports.
Ian Maxwell said that since the jury verdict on Thursday, his sister has been “understandably subdued” but remains “strong in spirit,” according to the Times. Ghislaine “is not now, nor has ever been, a suicide risk. She knows there are many people, including her family of course, who love and support her and who believe in her innocence,” Ian Maxwell told the Times.
She will be appealing the conviction, Ian Maxwell told the Times, referring to his sister as “a fighter and a survivor,” the newspaper reports.
Ghislaine Maxwell has still-unresolved perjury charges stemming from accusations that she lied under oath during a deposition for a 2016 lawsuit brought by one of her accusers, according to Bloomberg.
Maxwell has spent more than 500 days in jail since being arrested on federal sex-trafficking charges. Many of those days have been served in solitary confinement. It could be six months before Maxwell is sentenced.
Epstein died in jail in August 2019 shortly after he was arrested on child sex-trafficking charges. Authorities determined he committed suicide, although that conclusion has been contested.
[Feature imaage: This courtroom sketch shows Ghislaine Maxwell seated at defense table in red sweater, second from left, between two U.S. Marshals next to defense lawyer Jeffrey Pagliuca, third from right, during her sex-abuse trial, Wednesday Dec. 8, 2021, in New York. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)]
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