Maxwell set to receive between 15 and 19 years in prison, judge says
Lawyers from both sides have been battling over what length sentence the federal sentencing guidelines should recommend, along with other aspects of the law - indicating the hearing is likely to be lengthy.
The judge says the decision as to which sentencing guidelines she should follow depends on whether any evidence proves criminal conduct that occurred after 1 November 2004.
And in a victory for Maxwell, the judge rules there is not evidence to support the more severe sentencing guidelines which prosecutors have asked for.
Under the more lenient guidelines the judge has opted for, Maxwell will be sentenced to less than 20 years, according to her defence team.
This is significantly less than the 30 to 55 years sought by the prosecution - but considerably more than the 4.25 to 5.25 years her defence had argued for.
However, Judge Alison Nathan then says she is enhancing Maxwell’s sentence because she was at least 10 years older than the victims and exercised "undue influence" on them.
She eventually rules that the sentencing guidelines range that will apply to Maxwell is 188 months to 235 months.
This means she is set to receive between 15 years 8 months and 19 years 7 months, according to the guidelines.
The former socialite is sentenced in New York following her conviction on five counts of sex trafficking, in connection with late billionaire Jeffrey Epstein's sexual abuse of vulnerable underage girls in the 1990s and early 2000s.
news.sky.com