Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK, (Reuters) – Ghislaine Maxill, who is accused of enabling Jeffrey Epstein to commit sexual abuses against women, was sentenced Wednesday by her lawyer.

Bobbi Sternheim was Maxwell’s lawyer and she offered her assessment when Maxwell requested bail again ahead of Maxwell’s Nov. 29 trial.

The 16-month stint at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center by the British socialite was “reprehensible” and “utterly inappropriate for (a] woman who is about to turn 60 without any criminal history or violence records.”

Sternheim stated that “the surveillance rivals scenes from Dr. Hannibal Lecter’s imprisonment,” “despite the lack of the plastic face guard and cage.”

Lecter is an imaginary serial killer who devours his victims. Anthony Hopkins won the Oscar for Best Actor with his portrayal of him in “The Silence of the Lambs.”

Maxwell is being prosecuted by U.S. attorney Damian Williams at Manhattan’s office.

Maxwell, aged 59, pleaded guilty to the charges of sex traficking and helping to recruit and groom girls underage for Epstein’s abuse, 1994 to 2004.

She likely faces an uphill battle for bail given that U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan in Manhattan, who oversees her case, has rejected https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/ghislaine-maxwell-loses-latest-bail-request-2021-06-02 it three times, calling her a “significant risk of flight https://www.reuters.com/article/us-people-ghislaine-maxwell/ghislaine-maxwell-loses-third-bid-for-bail-idUSKBN2BE31C.” A federal appeals court has also rejected https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/ghislaine-maxwell-loses-latest-bail-request-2021-06-02 bail.

Epstein committed suicide at the age of 66 while waiting for his trial on charges related to sextrafficking.

Sternheim listed several reasons Maxwell renewed her $28.5 million bail package. These included an offer to give up her U.S. citizenship and transfer most of Maxwell’s assets into separate accounts.

Maxwell’s attorneys have complained previously about the following factors: alleged abuse of jail guards; unsanitary living conditions; poor diet; sleep deprivation; inability to read documents before trial.

The federal Bureau of Prisons representative did not respond immediately to our request for comment.

The questionnaires for prospective jurors are being filled out on Thursday by those who wish to be able to fairly evaluate Maxwell. Maxwell faces 80 years imprisonment if found guilty. Maxwell’s trial could last approximately six weeks.